Lebanese MPs slam further Israeli occupation of border village

A group of Lebanese legislators have staged a demonstration to denounce the Israeli regime’s occupation of the strategic border village of Ghajar, after the Israeli military put up a fence to the north of the village, cutting it off completely from Lebanon.

Earlier this month, the occupying regime absorbed Ghajar by erecting fences to the north of the area. The border town straddles a strategic corner where boundaries between Syria, Lebanon and occupied Palestinian territories meet.

In a statement on Sunday, Lebanese “Forces of Change” lawmakers described the Israeli regime’s seizure of the northern part of Ghajar as an “assault on Lebanese sovereignty” and a breach of international laws.

“Israel’s seizure of the northern part of Ghajar village represents very dangerous aggression against Lebanon, and constitutes a constant assault on Lebanese sovereignty, as well as a flagrant violation of all international principles and resolutions – a matter that is unacceptable and cannot be overlooked,” the statement said.

It further reaffirmed the lawmakers’ adherence to “every inch of the country” and “every drop of its seawater,” saying the country’s sovereignty is indisputable.

The statement also criticized the caretaker government led by prime minister Najib Mikati over its wariness, leniency, and negligence in the face of existing threats.

The parliamentarians called upon the Beirut movement to “promptly explore all available means to stand up against the blatant Israeli aggression.”

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The Ghajar village, which is divided by the UN Blue Line, the de-facto border between Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, was occupied by Israel in the 2006 July war.

Some 2,000 people live in Ghajar. Most of the villagers still consider themselves Syrian Shia Muslims, the minority sect of which Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is part.

In November 2010, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to withdraw from the northern part of the village. Until this day, however, Israel has not withdrawn from the village.

Lebanese legislator Elias Jaradi told the Arabic service of Russia’s Sputnik news agency that the Israeli army’s theft of Lebanese lands and blocking of main roads is a clear assault on the Arab nation’s sovereignty.

He said that local residents of southern Lebanon, who managed to expel Israeli occupation forces in April 2000, will not rest idle until all occupied lands are liberated.

Jaradi added that a vast majority of Lebanese legislators hold the same position, which signifies the correctness and eligibility of the issue and everyone’s commitment to the exercise of state authority over all Lebanese land.

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