A new INSS report describes the unique situation of a town on the Israel-Lebanon border that rests within both countries. The residents of Ghajar hold Israeli citizenship but predominantly maintain their identities as Syrian. Israel claimed the town following the 1973 war that led to the capture of the Golan Heights from Syria. Due to various agreements marking the border between Israel and Lebanon, half of the town is in each country’s territory, with the border splitting the village in half.
Due to some of the significant security risks to Israel resulting from this split, particularly due to the intense Hezbollah presence in the area, some Israeli politicians think that dividing the town in half with a wall could easily remedy the security risk. However, the other of the INSS report dismantles the myth and discusses how a wall creates serious problems for Israel, including legitimate claims that Israel would violate previous agreements. Moreover, the author asserts that the security situation regarding Ghajar remains relatively unchanged in the last 30-plus years. The author writes:
“In 2000 Israel agreed to the conditions laid down by the UN. Moreover, Israel is the party that offered to withdraw to the line determined in 1974, as this line leaves Mount Dov in its hands. The Ghajar-related security constraints that would emerge were already known back then, and the estimation at the time was that these would be surmountable. In the interim, nothing essential has changed that would require a modification of that decision.” perspective
Photo taken from the Jon Kepa blog.
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