In the 1970s, there was increased tension in the Israel-Lebanon border especially after the Palestinians relocated their armed element from Jordan to Lebanon. The Palestinians were in war with the Israel. When the Palesti8niand attacked and killed many Israelites in 1978, Israel invaded Lebanon and occupied the entire south part. The Lebanon government submitted a protest to the Security Council and the council reached a resolution ordering Israel to withdraw from Israel. UNIFIL was created to confirm the exit of Israel, regain international peace and help the government restore authority in Lebanon. However with the Civil war in 1982 and the south Lebanon conflict, the mandate of UNIFIL had to be adjusted.

The original mandate was to confirm Israel’s withdrawal and restore peace. However, with the different conflicts that have risen in the country, the mandate has been changed from time to time. The latest was the Israeli-Hizbullah war of 2006. The Security Council expanded the mandate of the UNIFIL to include monitor the cessation of hostilities and accompany the Lebanese army as they deploy in south Lebanon. It is also mandate to help the government of Lebanon in securing its borders and ensure humanitarian access to civilians, volunteers and the displaced people. With the conflict, there requires high level of coordination for the different activities and the force is also helping in the coordination.

An interesting fact that I have learnt is that community outreach is a major priority of the UNIFIL mission. There is a community outreach unit within UNIFIL that focuses on communicating the details of the objectives, aims and activities of the UNIFIL to the local population while also collecting feedback in relation to UNIFIL operation from the public. The unit conducts regular meetings with the local authorities and representatives from the communities. The major focus areas of the outreach activities include establishing forums where issues of concern are aired, explaining the aims and objectives of UNIFIL, and developing an understanding between the young people in Lebanon and UNIFIL.

References

Jenks, C. (2015). United Nations Peace Operations: Creating Space for Peace.

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). (n.d.). Retrieved July 01, 2016, from http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unifil/

 
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