BEIRUT: Lebanese political leaders and officials were divided Tuesday over their interpretation of the incident at the Lebanese-Israel border Sunday, when Israeli troops shot 11 protesters dead and injured over a hundred others who had flocked to the border to mark the 63rd anniversary of the “Nakba.
”While Speaker Nabih Berri and others condemned Israel for its violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea hinted that security forces were not deployed to Maroun al-Ras in a bid to provoke an incident.
Berri urged the UNIFIL to provide the United Nations with the details of the “Israeli massacre,” following a meeting with the commander of the forces, General Alberto Assarta.
“The massacre, which the Israeli forces committed against unarmed protesters in Maroun al-Ras, had no justification except Israel’s known hostility. It is a major violation of Resolution 1701 because it threatens security and stability in the region,” Berri said, in reference to the resolution that put an end to the 34-day 2006 summer war between Lebanon and Israel.
However, Geagea blamed the Lebanese Army backed by UNIFIL for failing to enforce Resolution 1701, questioning why there was a heavy deployment of security forces along the southern border from Fatima Gate to Adaysseh village, whereas “only four or five soldiers were deployed in Maroun al-Ras.”
On Monday, deputy spokesperson of UNIFIL, Andrea Tenenti said that while the Lebanese Army had asked for UNIFIL to conduct aerial surveillance of the Blue Line during the protest, and they were in contact with all sides, urging “maximum restraint,” the force received no request to deploy on the ground near Maroun al-Ras before the killings occurred.
Echoing Berri, the Future Movement parliamentary bloc issued a statement following its weekly meeting saying that, “the bloc condemns the crime committed by the army of the Israeli enemy against unarmed protesters and holds the Israeli enemy responsible for the spilling of blood.”
“The bloc also demands a large-scale Lebanese, Arab and international movement to condemn the aggressor because what happened is a crime against humanity and a clear violation of Resolution 1701,” it continued.
Caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Shami said Lebanon filed a complaint with the U.N. Security Council urging the international community to take action in holding Israel accountable for its crimes.