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UNIFIL in South Lebanon Didn't See, Hear, or Stop Hizbullah
(Ha'aretz) Aluf Benn - The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, is the world's largest peacekeeping force. It has around 10,000 troops in southern Lebanon, an annual budget of $500 million, and broad international support. According to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL has the authority "to take all necessary action" to prevent the use of the territory south of the Litani River for military purposes, to assist the Lebanese government in exercising its sovereignty, and to implement the UN resolutions calling for the disbanding of the militias in Lebanon. Yet the UN troops never reported the extensive military infrastructure that Hizbullah deployed along the border as part of its plan to capture the Galilee. Instead, it produces reports that include piles of bureaucratic text about the training of staff members and local officials aimed at preventing sexual harassment and abuse. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Assaf Orion, who was in charge of communications between the Israeli army and the UN forces, calls the situation an arrangement of convenience built on a pyramid of lies. Hizbullah benefits from a human shield to conceal its activities, and also from the money that UNIFIL spends in Shi'ite villages. The Lebanese government and army receive international legitimacy and assistance, while Western governments clear their consciences and "support Lebanon."