The Israeli and Lebanese military teams held their sixth round of talks in Nakura Thursday but, as at their previous meeting Monday, little progress was reported.
Israel rejected a Lebanese proposal that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol Israel’s northern border after the Israel Defense Force withdraws from south Lebanon. The Israeli delegation maintains that UNIFIL cannot guarantee against terrorist activity in the border zone.
The Lebanese remain adamant in their rejection of the Israel-backed South Lebanon Army (SLA) as the guarantor of security in the border zone. They said Israel’s proposals limited Lebanon’s independence in its own territory.
The Israelis reported minor progress Thursday when the Lebanese agreed to a UNIFIL presence in the coastal towns of Sidon and Tyre.
Monday’s session broke up in an acrimonious exchange between the two sides. Gen. Amos Gilboa, head of the Israeli delegation, said he was “fed up” with the Lebanese constant reiteration of unacceptable demands. A Lebanese spokesman accused Israel of deliberately wanting the talks to fail in order to remain in control of south Lebanon through surrogates.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
