July 19, 2006 GETTING OUT OF THE PRESENT ISRAELI-LEBANESE CONFLAGRATION By Dr.Yair Hirschfeld, Director General, Economic Cooperation Foundation The present war-like situation between Israel and Lebanon necessitates decisive international action. This paper offers a short overview of positions taken by the International Community in the past(particularly its commitment to UN Resolution 1559), the positive impact achieved by international involvement in support of the partial implementation of UN Resolution 1559, and suggested guidelines to solve the present crisis on the basis of an international effort to be based on the full implementation of UN Resolution 1559. 1. The Role of International Legitimacy and the Legal Situation The legal situation seems to be absolutely clear. The International Community has defined its policy towards Lebanon in UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426(1978), 520(1982) and resolution 1553 of 2004. In fulfillment hereof, Israel completely withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000. The UN confirmed that Israel had fully implemented its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 425. UN Special Envoy Terje Rod-Larsen went to Syria and asked President Assad if the Rajr area and the Sheba’a Farms were part of Lebanon or Syria, and his response was that it was part of Syria and that Israel should not withdraw. In partial fulfillment of UN Security Council Resolution 1559, Syria withdrew from Lebanon in 2005. Sustaining international legitimacy would necessitate implementation of UN Resolution 1559 in all its parts, which includes: a. the disarmament of Hizbollah and b. the deployment of the Lebanese Army throughout the entire sovereign Lebanese territory, including of course southern Lebanon until the Israeli border. Hisbollah attacks on Israel's sovereign territory, after Israel's complete withdrawal, presents an open act of war and documents that the international acceptance of the obstruction to full implementation of 1559 by the Hisbollah, Syria and Iran has created a destabilizing effect in the area, that either leads to an ongoing escalation of violence, or will have to lead, towards a determined local, regional and international stabilizing effort.