Israel crosses another red line with its attacks on peacekeepers

There can be little doubt that international peacekeeping is a dangerous business. Since 1948, almost 4,400 troops from dozens of nations – including more than 200 from the Middle East – have lost their lives while wearing the blue helmet of the UN in trouble spots around the world.

The deadliest mission for peacekeepers remains Unifil in Lebanon, where 337 soldiers have died trying to maintain a fragile peace there since March 1978. With peacekeepers now coming under direct attack, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday demanding that the UN pull its troops back from their positions in southern Lebanon, it is possible that devastating death toll could grow.

On Saturday, Unifil said that a fifth peacekeeper had been injured, this time by unidentified gunfire in the southern city of Naqoura. This follows several incidents over the past week in which Unifil positions were fired on by invading Israeli forces. On Thursday, two Indonesian peacekeepers were wounded when they fell from an observation tower that came under Israeli fire. Two more peacekeepers were injured on Friday.

Although Israel firing on peacekeeping troops – neutral soldiers mandated to be there by the international community – is shocking, it should not be surprising. In the run-up to these incidents, Israeli forces, who have already established a reputation for ill-discipline and violations in Gaza, had issued ultimatums to Unifil troops to pull back from certain positions. Satellite images published last week also showed Israel setting up a military staging post within metres of an Irish UN position, putting peacekeepers’ lives in danger.

Many in the international community are rightly alarmed. Lana Nusseibeh, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, on Saturday stated that attacks on peacekeeping missions breach the principles of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701, an August 2006 call for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, and for a long-term political solution to prevent further conflict. The day before, a joint statement from UN Special Co-ordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Unifil commander Lt Gen Aroldo Lazaro said “every missile or rocket launched, bomb dropped and ground raid conducted pulls the parties further away from the vision set forth in resolution 1701, as well as from the conditions necessary for the enduring security of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line”.

US President Joe Biden has also spoken out, calling on Israel to stop shooting at the peacekeepers. However, given that the Israeli military has acted with such little restraint in a conflict that has expanded from Gaza and the West Bank to Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, it is debatable whether Mr Biden’s interjection will have any effect. However, no one should minimise Hezbollah’s role in this unfolding chaos – indeed, in June last year a Lebanese tribunal accused five men linked to the movement of involvement in the murder of an Irish peacekeeper in December 2022.

More widely, Israel’s increasingly acrimonious relationship with the UN is apparent. From producing draft legislation that would ban UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for providing vital services for Palestinian refugees, from operating in Israel to declaring UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres persona non grata, the country’s estrangement from much of the international community appears to be increasing. Shooting at UN peacekeepers may be the final breach.

It is not too late for Israeli commanders to change tack, preferably by leaving Lebanon forthwith. Whatever short-term tactical gain Israel’s military thinks it is gaining by overrunning UN lines or forcing peacekeepers to stay in their bases will be outweighed by a further loss of already negligible international trust and prestige. Communication and negotiation remain the best ways to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon immediately and to tentatively rebuild a peace process. But if it allows its forces to literally open fire on representatives of the international community tasked with peacekeeping, it is difficult to see a path forward towards peace within an acceptable international framework.