President Biden Would Very Much Like Israel to Stop Shooting at Blue Helmets in Lebanon
If not, UNIFIL may collapse -- and that would be very bad
“US President Joe Biden has said he is ‘absolutely, positively’ urging Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers during its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon,” writes the BBC on October 11.
And yet, the hits keep coming.
On October 16, an Israeli tank shot down a peacekeeping watchtower. On October 24, an Israeli bulldozer destroyed a UNIFIL observation post. And now, the Financial Times reports that several peacekeepers suffered injuries after being exposed to white phosphorus, an incendiary chemical agent fired from Israeli tanks. (This was one of a dozen incidents included in a leaked report from a country that contributes troops to the peacekeeping mission.)
One of the recurring themes of US-Israel relations since October 7 is the frequency with which the Biden administration—including President Biden himself—issues public rebukes of Israeli actions that Israel subsequently ignores. For the most part, this falls under the remit of the complicated and longstanding bilateral relationship between the United States and Israel. But when it comes to attacks on UN peacekeepers, the disconnect between the Biden administration’s words and Israel’s actions can no longer be confined to the give-and-take of bilateral diplomacy. Rather, this becomes a multilateral issue that impacts the United States’ relationship with the United Nations as a whole.
Why UN Peacekeeping is Different
UN peacekeepers can only be deployed with a vote of the Security Council, which, as you probably know, includes five veto-wielding members. If any of those five object, the peacekeeping mission will not deploy. If the mission is already deployed, any one of the five countries can shutter the mission when its mandate comes up for annual renewal.
This includes the United States, the closest international ally of Israel.
When UNIFIL was revamped in 2006 following a prior conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Bush administration was an eager champion. The mission got off the ground—and quickly—thanks to a decent working partnership that was formed between Kofi Annan and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Since then, UNIFIL’s mandate has been renewed on an annual basis through a vote in the Security Council. Four separate U.S. administrations have supported the continued deployment of UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. This includes the Biden administration, which just two months ago voted to renew UNIFIL’s mandate.
“Extending UNIFIL’s mandate… supports our goal of regional de-escalation, which is now more important than ever. We do not want to see conflicts intensify and spread, and, most importantly, the people of the region do not want that either,” Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told the Security Council after his vote. “Specifically, UNIFIL plays an important role in monitoring activity along the Blue Line and promoting stability. And it supports local communities by facilitating humanitarian access and providing much-needed resources and training. UNIFIL’s liaising capabilities also are integral in mitigating the risk of miscalculation and preventing further escalation.”
Israel, meanwhile, is trying to undermine this mission. The attacks against UNIFIL positions have not been accidents or collateral damage. Rather, Israel is deliberately and directly attacking peacekeeping outposts—using bulldozers and tanks. Netanyahu himself has said as much and called for its withdrawal.
The United States cannot both support the continued deployment of UNIFIL and support Israel’s war aims in Lebanon, which apparently include fomenting the collapse of UNIFIL. Should UNIFIL collapse, it would be because troop-contributing countries lack confidence that U.S. pressure can prevent Israel from attacking their soldiers. They will want to pull their troops from harm’s way, and the mission would dissolve from within.
This may suit Israel’s aims, but it would set a dangerous precedent for UN peacekeeping as a whole. It would also fundamentally undermine American commitments to the United Nations and shake the foundation of UN peacekeeping to its core. If the inviolability of UN peacekeepers is not kept sacrosanct, missions everywhere—and the stability they provide—may be fatally undermined. It’s hard to see how that outcome advances American interests in any meaningful way.
If the Biden administration really wants to stand up for UNIFIL — and for UN Peacekeeping as a whole — it ought to take meaningful action to raise the costs to Israel for its deliberate and ongoing attacks on Blue Helmets in Lebanon.
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