Are the clashes between international troops (UNIFIL) and people in south Lebanese villages useful? As British writer David Hirst described it in his wonderful book on Lebanon's modern history, Beware of Small States, the Lebanese arena is open to all conflicts, and allows us to ask the question, as in crime dramas, “who benefits?” The manipulation of incidents between the people of South Lebanon against international peacekeepers serves the interest of Iran, Syria, Israel and Hezbollah, and is not in the interest of Lebanon, or the people of the south. Iran benefits from such incidents because they stand for a political message to the great powers, especially France, which imposed harsh sanctions on Tehran. Iran begins by acting on this front, by seeing Hezbollah encourage the people of the south to clash with peacekeepers. Syria benefits because France, Spain and other countries contributing to UNIFIL will send it messages about the need to calm this front; in other words, Damascus returns to playing its regional role as with prior to 2005, when it entered to extinguish the fires started by its allies. Israel benefits, because it needs to show that it is threatened and requires wars to defend its existence, while it does not want peace and is determined to keep the state of war in the region open, as it does not want a Palestinian state on its borders. Hezbollah benefits, because it is the dominant force in Lebanon, and governs war and peace. The UN peacekeepers in South Lebanon are not an occupying force, or one that serves a certain type of political propaganda. Since 1978, they have been there to serve stability and peace in a region that was, before the civil war, a garbage can for the Lebanese state. This led to the disasters that befell Lebanon, during war and Israeli occupation, and Palestinian mistakes. After Israel's brutal war on Lebanon in 2006, the United Nations decided to boost the capabilities and the mission of UNIFIL, with a push from then-French President Jacques Chirac. He decided to send more French troops, to give the peacekeepers better conditions to carry out its mission, with a modification of the margin of their movement. This was so that they could protect the region, enabling it to protect itself from the enemies of peacekeeping and stability. On this basis, UNIFIL's mission has always been peacekeeping in South Lebanon. The events of 29 June showed that countries contributing to UNIFIL, such as France, Spain and Italy, that the incidents were organized clearly, even at the level of violence, which was under control, and well-thought-out. It involved stone-throwing and the commander of UNIFIL shouldered his responsibilities by carrying out his mission, exiting the barracks, and confronting the clashes, which were prompted by Hezbollah, according to confirmation by the countries participating in UNIFIL. The statements by Hezbollah, about how UNIFIL should behave cautiously, in fact, show that Lebanon and the Lebanese should show caution. There is a danger that these states will tell their troops in UNIFIL, “go back to your barracks and stay there, and just monitor things from a distance, because you did not go to South Lebanon to fight.” UNIFIL's mission is to prevent confrontation, and to deter, through a strong presence. It also has a social and educational role for the people of the region, and in the interest of the Shiites of the south. Do these social and educational activities anger people in the south, or do they compete with Hezbollah activities on the ground? The Lebanese Army, meanwhile, performed well following the brutal 2006 war, and was deployed in the south for the first time, which was welcomed by people there. To the countries contributing to UNIFIL, it now appears to be weak and afraid of Hezbollah. The best thing would be to see that South Lebanon is not used once again as an arena for the interests of Iran, Israel or Syria, or whoever wants to stir up problems before international indictments in the Rafiq Hariri assassination case. The peoples of the states that make up UNIFIL will not accept seeing their soldiers humiliated, and attacked, to serve these interests.
