DFA voices concern for UN peacekeepers amid Israeli strikes in Lebanon

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora, Philippine News Agency

FILE: The Department of Foreign Affairs Building along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, which used to be the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank. (Photo By Lawrence Ruiz, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday it “strongly condemns” any action that endangers the United Nations Peacekeepers against the backdrop of Israeli strikes in Lebanon that injured five UN personnel positioned along the “Blue Line.”

The DFA did not mention a specific country but said the statement refers to “the status of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).”

“The Philippines strongly condemns any action that endangers the safety and security of UN Peacekeepers as they fulfill their mandate in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” DFA Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a statement.

“We urge all UN Member States to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure that peacekeepers are permitted to carry out their critical work. Violations of peacekeeping mandates undermine the rules-based international order and destabilize regions where peace efforts are most needed.”

The DFA, she said, remains committed to multilateral cooperation for the promotion of international peace and security.

The UNIFIL is mandated by the UN Security Council to monitor the cessation of hostilities following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, and to confirm the Israeli forces’ withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The mission had since been positioned along the Blue Line, an area that separates south Lebanon from Israel.

After announcing its “limited, localized, and targeted” ground raids against Hezbollah early this month, Israel called on the blue helmets to vacate the area and move further north.

On Oct. 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the Israeli appeal, while denying as “completely false” claims that the Israeli troops were deliberately hitting UNIFIL positions.

From Oct. 10 to 11, four peacekeepers were injured after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “repeatedly hit” the UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters and nearby positions.

The next day, a fifth peacekeeper was hit by gunfire due to military activity in the same area.

The mission said its peacekeepers at a UN position in Ramyah had also observed three platoons of IDF soldiers crossing the Blue Line into Lebanon on Oct. 13, with two Israeli tanks destroying the position’s main gate.

Later that day, 15 peacekeepers suffered from skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions after the IDF fired several rounds 100 meters north of their position and the smoke entered their camp.

On Oct. 16, UNIFIL reported yet another strike on the blue helmets’ position, which it said was a “deliberate fire” that damaged their watchtower.

“This morning, peacekeepers at a position near Kafer Kela observed an IDF Merkava tank firing at their watchtower. Two cameras were destroyed, and the tower was damaged,” the UNIFIL said.

“Yet again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a UNIFIL position.”

The UN Peace Operations said the UNIFIL will stay in all its positions.

According to the DFA, there is no Filipino national deployed as a UN peacekeeper at the UNIFIL.