PRIME Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati has criticized Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu‘s demand that the United Nations (UN) withdraw UNIFIL troops.
“The warning Netanyahu delivered to Guterres demanding the withdrawal of UNIFIL is a new chapter in the enemy’s approach of not complying with international (norms),” said Najib.
Hezbollah denied Israeli accusations that it used the presence of peacekeepers to protect its fighters.
Also read: Call Guterres, Netanyahu asks UNIFIL to be evacuated now
Ray Murphy, a former UNIFIL peacekeeper, told Al Jazeera that the use of tanks, shelling around UN posts and reckless endangerment of UN personnel were deliberate acts of violence by Israeli forces.
“This cannot be linked to Hezbollah at all. This is the decision of Israeli forces to target UN troops, UN posts,” he said.
UN peacekeepers are protected under international humanitarian law, Murphy noted.
“They’re not playing a military role. They’re playing a peacemaking role. They’re observing, they’re reporting, they’re trying to provide humanitarian assistance. There’s no justification for these attacks on UN forces,” Murphy said.
Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon, said the UN’s insistence on putting UNIFIL soldiers in the line of fire was incomprehensible. (Al Jazeera/Z-2)
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