Lebanese Army denies land border agreement with Israel, says Blue Line disputes remain

The Lebanese Armed Forces on Wednesday refuted rumors that Israel had agreed to cede the 13 disputed points along the land border with Lebanon in the latter’s favor.

The rumors had suggested the Israeli consent was “part of the process to clarify the borders in exchange for the removal of a Hezbollah tent that was erected in June on the Kfar Chouba hills, located on the Lebanese side occupied by Israel.”

It came after a tripartite meeting on Tuesday in Ras Al-Naqoura, on the border, chaired by the head of mission and force commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro. The participants included Lebanese army officers led by Brig. Gen. Mounir Shehadeh, who is the Lebanese government’s coordinator with UNIFIL, and a delegation of Israeli officers.

On Wednesday, Lebanon’s army command said its representatives at the meeting “discussed the 13 points that Lebanon had reservations about on the Blue Line, considering them violations, but an agreement had not been reached. It was decided to maintain contacts and meetings under the auspices of the United Nations.”

The Blue Line, also known as the “withdrawal line,” is a border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel set by the UN in June 2000 to help determine whether Israeli forces had fully withdrawn from Lebanese territory, but it is not considered an international border.

Andrea Tenenti, the official spokesperson for UNIFIL, said: “The discussions taking place in the tripartite meetings are confidential and the media reports issued on Wednesday contain speculation that does not accurately reflect the discussions that took place on Tuesday.

“Such reports based on unconfirmed rumors have the potential to jeopardize the progress achieved so far in reducing tensions and advancing discussions on unresolved matters along the Blue Line.

“The intention is to continue with the discussions under the auspices of UNIFIL, with the ultimate objective of addressing all issues along the Blue Line.”

The UN recognizes the borders between Lebanon and Palestine, which were demarcated in 1923 and approved by the League of Nations. The Armistice Agreement of 1949, which formally ended the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, was based on these borders. It obliges Israel to respect Lebanon’s internationally recognized boundaries, stipulating that the Armistice Demarcation Line should follow the international boundary between Lebanon and Palestine.

Retired Lebanese Army Maj. Gen. Abdul Rahman Chehaitli told Arab News he was surprised that the issue of land border demarcation had been discussed during the meeting in Ras Al-Naqoura.

“The borders have already been drawn and recognized,” he said. “The dispute revolves around 13 points on the Blue Line, which is not a border line.”

Amos Hochstein, the US special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs, previously led indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel that concluded last year with the agreed demarcation of maritime borders between the two countries.

He visited Lebanon at the end of August this year and held meetings with Lebanese officials, during which he was briefed on the start of the process of exploring Lebanese waters for potentially commercial quantities of gas.

Reports indicated that during the meetings Hochstein presented “American ideas related to land border demarcation to discuss with Lebanon, following his success in demarcating maritime borders.”

Lebanese authorities oppose the use of the term “demarcation” for its land borders, on the grounds that they are already defined. They say the focus should be on “clarifying” the borders and addressing disputed points, and on the need to prevent Israeli violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was intended to resolve the 2006 Lebanon War between Hezbollah and Israel.

Chehaitli, the retired Lebanese army officer, said: “The approval of Lebanon and Israel regarding the US message on maritime border demarcation did not align with the level of agreement in form. What happened cannot be viewed merely as measures to facilitate economic benefits; Lebanon’s maritime borders are not demarcated, unlike its land borders.

“Lebanon should not engage in discussions about demarcating its land borders. Such actions would be in violation of the Constitution, as Article 2 states that no part of Lebanese territory may be ceded.”

Lebanon’s caretaker foreign minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, said on July 11: “Resolving issues on the southern border does not imply normalization. There are 13 disputed points along the Blue Line with Israel, with agreement on seven and six remaining points in dispute.”

The disputed points along the 120-kilometer Blue Line stretch from Shebaa Farms in the southeast to the town of Al-Naqoura in the southwest.