Shebaa farms

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The Shebaa Farms ( Arabic مزارع شبعا Mazāriʿ Shibʿā , Hebrew חוות שבעא Chavot Scheb'a ) are asmall, politically controversial area on the border between Lebanon , Israel and Syria that has beenoccupiedby Israel since 1967. It comprises 14 farms south of the Lebanese village of Shebaa, which have no longer existed in 1967(Aardatâ, Al-Aqareb Jouret, Al-Mouloul Marah, Al-Roubaa, EL-Dhimmi Beit, Fashkûl, Kfardûmâ, Khallet Ghazâale, Mughr Shab'â, Mazra ' at Qafwâ, Ramthâ and Zebdîn). There are also some Israeli military outposts (Nahal Si'on, Har Dow, Ziwanit) in the area. The undisputed Lebanese village of Shebaa itself is not part of the Shebaa farm area.

The area is located on the western slope of Mount Hermon in the area of ​​the Syrian Golan , which was occupied by Israel in 1967 and has been subject to Israeli legislation since 1981. The area claimed by Lebanon as Lebanese extends in the southeast to the river Nachal Si'on (Arabic: Wādī ʿAsal.) It is approximately 28 km² in size and is at an altitude of 400 to 2224  m . Up to an altitude of 1,200 meters, the area is mainly used as arable land on which vegetables and barley are grown. There has been a winter sports area for several years. The area belongs to the Hermon nature reserve established by Israel.

The ridge itself is called in Hebrew Ketef Si'on ("Si'on shoulder" or mountain ridge), its northeastern point Har Dow ("Bear Mountain").

The Shebaa farms were captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War ; they had previously been administered by Syria . Until 1941 they belonged to the French mandate of Lebanon. The area is claimed accordingly by the Lebanese government. Syria has verbally awarded this area to Lebanon, but has not yet confirmed this in a legally binding written agreement with Lebanon. Syrian general staff maps from 1967 show the area as Syrian accordingly; Incidentally, this also applies to Lebanese military cards.

During the so-called war of attrition 1969-1970, the area was infiltrated from the Lebanese side of the border by the PLO and used as a starting point for fire attacks until the Israeli army established fixed bases and the Ma'ale Si'on road to patrol the border area to Har Dow paved.

At the foot of this area runs the now dilapidated route of the former diversion canal, with whose help Lebanon and Syria diverted the source rivers of the Jordan from 1965 and thus wanted to withdraw water from Israel. At the same time, a section of the TAP (Transarabian Pipeline) runs there.

After the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000 until the implementation of Resolution 1701 of the UN Security Council , the Shiite Hezbollah militia ruled southern Lebanon, but not the Shebaa farms. The pro-Iranian organization has announced that it will continue its attacks on Israel until the Jewish state also gives the Shebaa farms to Lebanon.

The Shebaa problem was first mentioned to a UN emissary in connection with the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. The UN considers the area to be Syrian, Hezbollah and Lebanon as Lebanese. Syria's position is contradicting itself: in 2000 it was said that the farms were donated to Lebanon in 1951, whereas in 2006 President al-Assad insisted on Israel withdrawing from the border. Without a settlement of the Shebaa problem between all three countries involved, a peace treaty between Lebanon and Israel does not seem possible. Since the Second World War, it is no longer possible to acquire territory under international law through simple annexation without the consent of the ceding company. The reason for the occupation (e.g. profit in a defensive war or, in this case, a preventive war of aggression) is not decisive for the validity of the acquisition title, but only cumulatively the consent of the state previously exercising territorial sovereignty, the formal annexation and the continuous effective exercise of Sovereign acts. Before the Shebaa problem with Israel can be clarified, there must first be a clarification of property between Lebanon and Syria, which is valid under international law.

etymology

The name Shebaa is often - erroneously - traced back to the Hebrew word שבע sheva ('seven'), but is possibly from the Arabic rootشبع / š-b-ʿ derived, which means 'to be full'. The origin from another language seems also possible, whereby the Syriac-Aramaic is the most likely variant. The latter is supported by the final syllable -ā , which is a trailing article in Aramaic and can be found in numerous toponyms in the region. The spelling with double-A goes back to French, those with -aa- the Arabic consonants ʿain (ع) reproduces.

population

The population comprises a few hundred people and is composed mainly of Jewish new immigrants from Ethiopia (Falashmura) and Israeli military personnel.

history

British Mandate Palestine, 1920

The territory of the Shebaa farms was an area of ​​the Ottoman Empire for centuries and an area of ​​the independent province of Lebanon within the Ottoman Empire from 1860 to 1920.

After the surrender of the Ottoman Empire in World War I (1918), Great Britain occupied Palestine (which at that time also included Transjordan ) and Iraq, France, Lebanon and Syria. Most of the boundaries between the occupied territories had been negotiated in the Sykes-Picot Agreement . The area of ​​the Shebaa farms was assigned to Syria, which at that time still formed a unit with Lebanon.

After the First World War, in 1920 the League of Nations placed Lebanon and Syria under a French mandate, in accordance with the San Remo Conference , but Palestine under a British mandate British mandate Palestine July 24, 1922 ( Memento of May 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). The boundaries of the Sykes-Picot Agreement were adopted. Between 1920 and 1924 the border lines were redefined several times to a small extent. In 1924 the mandate borders of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Transjordan were finally determined by Great Britain and France. The territory of the Shebaa farms within the French mandate was added to Lebanon.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the farms near Shebaa were considered Lebanese territory. However, Syria claimed this area because it rejected Lebanon's right to independence. In the armistice agreement of 1949 it was added to Syria without being named. In the 1940s, Syria occupied the farms and ruled the area until it lost them to Israel along with the Golan in 1967.

The Syrian farm administration in 1946-1967 created an unusual situation. Both the residents of the farms were Lebanese nationals and the country was Lebanese territory, and tax sovereignty over the area was also exercised by Lebanon. In contrast, the civil administration and the military sovereignty were Syrian. Lebanon did not consent to the Syrian administration through the courts, but neither did it appeal to the United Nations so as not to worsen the already tense relationship with Syria. Indeed, Lebanon attempted to establish a police station at the Shebaa farms between 1956 and 1958, with some Lebanese policemen being killed by Syria and others forcibly evicted.

Between 1946 and 1967, residents and landowners of the Shebaa farms repeatedly complained to the Lebanese governments, from President Béchara el-Khoury to President Fuad Schihab . They also petitioned the Syrian government .

During the Six Day War in June 1967 Israel occupied most of the Golan and with it the Shebaa farms. In UN Security Council Resolution 242 of November 22, 1967, the Shebaa farms were not mentioned as Lebanese territory. Resolution 242 established all areas of the Golan that were occupied by Israel across the Israeli border as Syrian territory. It should be noted here that Lebanon was not involved in the Six Day War and at the time never publicly announced that Israel had occupied Lebanese territory.

In 1972, Israel occupied territories around Hûla on the Lebanese side of the border, but stayed there only briefly.

Lebanon also did not take part in the third Israeli-Arab war, the Yom Kippur War (October War) of 1973, and even after that did not consider any part of its territory to be occupied by Israel. The UN resolution 338 of November 22, 1973 also contained no mention of allegedly occupied Lebanese territory.

After a series of clashes between Israeli forces and the PLO , Israeli forces invaded Lebanon in March 1978. Thereupon the UN Security Council demanded in the resolution 425 of March 19, 1978 the Israeli withdrawal to the position before the invasion on March 14 on the so-called Blue Line . Israel withdrew its troops, but the Shebaa farms were not mentioned in this resolution either.

In June 1982 Israel invaded Lebanon again and occupied parts of southern Lebanon, from which it did not withdraw until May 2000. The Resolution 520 of the UN Security Council of 17 September 1982 called for the withdrawal of all non-Lebanese forces from Lebanon, restoring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon. This resolution made no mention of the Shebaa farms because, from the perspective of the United Nations, they were part of the Syrian territories covered by Resolutions 242 and 338 relating to the Syrian Golan.

At the American-Soviet led peace conference in Madrid in October 1991, all those involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict sat around one table for the first time. All other Arab states except Iraq had sent observers. At this conference, Israel, the Palestinians and the neighboring Arab states confirmed that Lebanon was completely occupied by Syria and that it was not affected by resolutions 242 and 338. All countries involved in the Middle East conflict would have to comply with the boundaries of the 1949 treaties. At the time, neither Israel, Syria, nor any Arab country mentioned the Shebaa farms as occupied Lebanese territory.

However, the Lebanese and Syrian authorities insisted that Syria officially added the area of ​​Shebaa farms to Lebanon in 1951. In 2005, the United Nations determined the territory of the disputed area between Syria and Lebanon in resolution 1583 of January 28th according to the borders of 1949 and therefore assigned the Shebaa farms to Syria. According to the United Nations, however, both states have the option of exchanging territory.

On September 25, 2005, the United Nations called on Israel to resolve the border conflict with Lebanon. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had asked Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to comply with Lebanese demands. Sharon replied that Israel did not currently intend to withdraw its troops from the Shebaa farm area.

Struggles

From May 2000 to the end of 2004, the Israeli army (IDF) and Hezbollah fought over 50 fights. As a result of these attacks, dozens of Lebanese people, 13 Israeli soldiers, died, three soldiers were kidnapped and dozen were wounded on both sides. The attacks were carried out with anti-tank missiles, mortar shells and handguns. Among other things, Israel used helicopters. Mines were laid near the border.

Israeli and Lebanese attacks

No. date Type of attack
01 October 7, 2000 Three Israeli soldiers are shot and kidnapped, five soldiers are wounded in artillery fire. The corpses of the abducted soldiers are brought back in a prisoner exchange.
02 November 16, 2000 Two Israeli soldiers are wounded when an explosive charge detonates.
03 November 26, 2000 Two Israeli soldiers are wounded when an explosive charge detonates.
04 February 16, 2001 An anti-tank missile is fired at an Israeli army convoy. One Israeli soldier is killed, two soldiers are wounded.
05 April 14, 2001 An anti-tank missile ('PAK') is fired at an Israeli tank. An Israeli soldier is killed.
06 May 14, 2001 A PAK is fired at an Israeli army outpost. No personal injury.
07 June 29, 2001 PAK and several mortar shells fired at four Israeli army outposts. An Israeli soldier is wounded.
08 July 1, 2001 PAK and several mortar shells fired at Israeli army outposts near Har Dow and Mount Hermon. No personal injury.
09 October 3, 2001 PAK and mortar shells fired at two Israeli army outposts. No personal injury.
10 October 22, 2001 PAK and mortar shells fired at three Israeli army outposts. An employee of the Ministry of Defense was slightly wounded.
11 January 23, 2002 Numerous PAK and mortar shells are fired at Israeli army outposts.
12 March 30, 2002 Mortar shells fired at Israeli Army outposts. No personal injury.
13 April 2, 2002 Mortar shells fired at Israeli Army outposts. No personal injury.
14th April 3, 2002 Missiles fired at Nahal Si'on near the border. An Israeli soldier wounded.
15th April 5, 2002 Rockets and mortar shells fired at Israeli army outposts. No personal injury.
16 April 7, 2002 PAHs, missiles and smaller weapons are fired at Israeli army outposts. Four charges of explosives detonate near Kafr Ghadjar. PAKs are fired at Moshav Avivim. Shots from a hunting rifle injure a guard at Kibbutz Menara (western "finger of Galilee", not Golan). Seven Israeli soldiers are injured, one of them life-threatening.
17th April 8, 2002 PAK and mortar shells fired at Israeli army outposts. No personal injury.
18th April 9, 2002 Artillery, PAK and small arms are fired at Israeli army outposts near Har Dow and the slopes of Mount Hermon (Majdal Shams, Hermon ski slopes, Moshav Newe Ativ). No personal injury.
19th April 10, 2002 Attempt to attack an Israeli army outpost. A Hezbollah flag was hoisted near an outpost. Artillery and PAHs are fired from Har Dov at outposts in the northern Golan Heights. No personal injury.
20th April 11, 2002 Artillery and mortar shells fired at Israeli Army outposts. No personal injury.
21st April 12, 2002 PAK and mortar shells fired at Israeli army outposts. No personal injury.
22nd April 13, 2002 PAK and mortar shells fired at Israeli army outposts. No personal injury.
23 April 26, 2002 Artillery and mortar shells fired at Israeli Army outposts. Six Israeli soldiers are wounded.
24 August 29, 2002 Artillery and mortar shells fired at two Israeli army outposts. One Israeli soldier is killed and two wounded. The Israeli army returned fire with artillery fire.
25th January 21, 2003 Fired with mortar shells, hunting rifles and PAK at Israeli army outposts. No personal injury.
26th August 8, 2003 Artillery and mortar shells fired at two Israeli army outposts. One Israeli soldier is killed and two wounded. The Israeli army returned fire with artillery fire.
27 October 27, 2003 Large-scale use of mortar shells on several Israeli army outposts near Har Dov. An Israeli soldier is wounded. The Israeli army returned fire with artillery fire and attacked Hezbollah targets.
28 March 22, 2004 Area fire with approx. 100 mortar shells on Israeli army outposts.
29 May 7, 2004 Extensive attack on Israeli army outposts at Har Dow. Explosive charges are detonated and mortar shells are fired. One Israeli soldier is killed and three others are injured.
30th June 8, 2004 Approximately 80 mortar shells and PAK fired at Israeli Army outposts. An Israeli soldier is wounded.
31 January 9, 2005 Explosive charges detonated during a patrol near Nahal Si'on. An Israeli soldier is killed. A UN soldier is killed by enemy fire during the attack.
32 January 14, 2005 An explosive charge near Nahal Si'on - probably triggered by an animal. No personal injury.
33 January 17, 2005 An explosive charge detonates when attacking a bulldozer near Nahal Si'n. No personal injury.
34 July 29, 2005 Attack on several Israeli military posts in Lebanon. At least one Israeli was injured in the attacks, the Israeli army said. According to the Lebanese police, the Israeli army carried out several air strikes in response to the villages of Kfar Shuba and Shebaa in southern Lebanon. Other villages in the border area were also shot at by the artillery. Initially, nothing was known about the injured.
35 July 30, 2005 Israeli soldiers reportedly arrested two Hezbollah fighters near one of their positions in Lebanon. According to the army, they belonged to a commando that had killed an Israeli soldier the day before in hours of fighting in the border area.
36 October 29, 2005 Israeli helicopters attacked Hezbollah militia positions in southern Lebanon. The ten-minute attacks came from the Shebaa farm area. The attack was a direct response to a statement made the previous day by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who said his organization supports Iran's ideological positions.
37 November 21, 2005 According to the Israeli military, 11 soldiers were injured in rocket attacks in the Shebaa farm area, two of them seriously. The rockets hit the Shebaa farms and the cities of Kiryat Shmona and Metulla. Israel responded with the use of fighter jets and artillery fire.

Summary of the territorial disputes

From the perspective of the Lebanese Hezbollah, the claim to this territory constitutes a legitimation for ongoing hostilities against Israel. In the event of Israel's complete withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories, Hezbollah would lose its right to exist as an armed militia, since, according to its own statements, it would only take the Israelis out of the Wants to expel Lebanon. Furthermore, Hezbollah is unwilling to recognize the purely Jewish character of the State of Israel.

  • The problem with the Shebaa farms in today's context has existed since 2000.
  • Lebanon and Syria declared the Shebaa Farms area to be part of Lebanon.
  • The United Nations designates the area of ​​the Shebaa farms as Syrian territory which is occupied by Israel.
  • Israel takes the position that the area of ​​the Shebaa farms belongs to the Golan Heights conquered in 1967, to which, however, according to the unilateral decision of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) regarding the annexation of the Golan Heights of 1981, Israeli law applies.

Seven villages

In June 2005 Hezbollah stated that not only the Shebaa farms, but also the so-called 'Seven Villages' belonged to Lebanon. The Shiite villages that no longer exist today (Ibl Qamah, Hounîn, Malkiyya, an-Nabî Yûsha ', Kades, Saliha and Teir Bikha) were settled until 1948.

In 1924 the seven villages were transferred from the French, responsible for Lebanon and Syria, to the British mandate responsible for Palestine , which set up a heavily fortified police station in an-Nabî Yûshâ ' . In 1949 Israel took over these seven villages as the legal successor to the mandate power; the residents fled to south Lebanon.

tourism

Mount Hermon

The only tourist destination is the ski area on the slopes of Mount Hermon . This is the only ski resort within the Israel-controlled area. Israel has set up 45 kilometers of slopes there with five chairlifts that are open all year round. The runs have different levels of difficulty, the longest is two and a half kilometers long.

The lifts and slopes for Israeli skiers are in the eastern part of the Shebaa farms at an altitude of 1,600 to 2,100 meters. Around 6,000 people use the lifts every day for excursions, skiing or sledding. The highest lift is used by 400 to 800 people every hour. 2,000 Israeli skiers descend the mountain slopes every day. There is a ski school with dozens of ski instructors, most of whom are from Europe or the USA. The existing ski supervision works together with the alpine elite unit of the Israeli army .

The Israeli ski area is operated by residents of the nearby village of Newe Atiw, which is no longer part of the Shebaa farms. There are also hotels and restaurants for skiers. Many ski outfitters come from the Druze village of Majdal Shams , which is also no longer part of the Shebaa farms, but is part of the Israeli-occupied Golan.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Shebaa Farms  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ United Nations Security Council: Security council endorses secretary-general's conclusion on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as of June 16 June 18, 2000, accessed on September 1, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Syrian Arab News Agency: President Bashar al-Assad Gives an interview to Dubai Satellite TV Channel. August 24, 2006, accessed September 1, 2019 .
  3. ↑ United Nations : Press release (English)

Coordinates: 33 ° 16 ′ 43 "  N , 35 ° 41 ′ 32"  E