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UNIFIL Presence in Lebanon Becoming a Burden for Israel
(Al-Monitor) Ben Caspit - Some in Israel are saying that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has become a burden and its mission is no longer needed. "UNIFIL was supposed to be the enforcement apparatus for Security Council Resolution 1701," a high-placed Israeli military source said. "But in actual fact, it has become only a fig leaf for that resolution. UNIFIL whitewashes Hizbullah activity on the 'Blue Line' [border], and serves as an excuse for Hizbullah and the Lebanese government to violate the UN resolution and ratchet up tensions along the border. We no longer need this force here any longer. Better to remain with only the coordination and liaison units, and that's all." Resolution 1701 states that Hizbullah militants are not to be south of the Litani River. Yet when U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley visited Israel in June, she was shown observation points erected by Hizbullah along the length of the Lebanese border.