Cabinet to hear of efforts to convince US diplomats not to end Lebanon peace force support
As revealed
by
The Journal
there were concerns among participating countries that American diplomats would use their veto to block the renewal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Mission in august.
US real estate mogul Tom Barrack, a close confidante of Donald Trump to carry out an assessment of the mission.
Sources both here and abroad told this news website that there were fears that the US, after lobbying by Israel, were considering pulling their funding for UNIFIL.
Those sources believe that this would have one of two possible outcomes – either a reduction in budget and troop numbers or a complete shutdown of the mission.
One other possibility, according to a source, is that the Lebanese Government could invite certain countries to stay on should the mission end.
Officials we spoke to are keen to stress that this is a regular occurrence every year as the renewal comes around but this year, with the Trump regime's support for Israel, there are greater concerns.
Sources have said that negotiations and diplomatic liaisons have progressed between French officials leading negotiations and their US counterparts.
This weekend Irish diplomats were said to be 'quietly confident' that those negotiations were having some success in dissuading the Americans from pulling the plug.
Advertisement
The UNIFIL mandate ends on 31 August – this news website discovered that French diplomats were set to lead negotiations on trying to save the mission.
Tomorrow, the Tánaiste Simon Harris, who is also Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs, will brief his cabinet colleagues on progress around the diplomatic work going on behind the scenes.
It is understood the cabinet will back the proposal to continue with Ireland's participation and will tell their international counterparts that they are 'fully supportive' of Ireland's continued participation in the mission.
It is believed that the Tánaiste's memo to his colleagues has laid out 'particular challenges in the negotiations' but that the Irish advocacy is focusing on stressing that UNIFIL is having positive impacts.
Harris will set out his plans and how he will engage directly with his counterparts from the United States, France, Lebanon and Britain.
Tánaiste Simon Harris speaking to Irish troops in Lebanon in March.
Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The Irish Defence Forces currently has approximately 340 personnel deployed to their main base near the South Lebanese town of At Tiri at Camp Shamrock as well as a number of other posts.
UNIFIL
began in 1978
to maintain peace and security on the contested border between Lebanon and Israel after a period of increased tension between the two countries. The more than 300 Irish troops are part of a massive international presence of 10,500 troops from 50 countries to monitor both sides of the border.
They patrol a fragile demarcation zone in South Lebanon along what is known as the Blue Line.
In October last year Israel invaded south Lebanon to attack Hezbollah elements in strongholds across the region. In November the two countries signed a peace accord and Israel began to withdraw – they have left behind some forces at some Forward Operating Bases.
There have been a number of incidents where Israeli forces have fired on UN peacekeepers and also locals have attacked UNIFIL troops in various incidents. The area is said to be very tense.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
8 minutes ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the latest opinion poll: Coalition not inspiring the electorate
A jump in support for Independents is one of the most notable features of the latest Irish Times Ipsos B&A poll. The poll shows a minimal change in support for the Coalition parties since the last poll in April but Sinn Féin is down four points while Labour and the Social Democrats have slipped by a point and the Greens have remained static. It appears that voters who are disillusioned with the Government are moving towards Independents rather than Sinn Féin or the other more established left wing parties, while the number of undecided voters now stands at a significant 25 per cent. The huge number of undecided voters and the rise in support for Independents indicates that a substantial segment of the electorate does not have great faith in either Government or Opposition. There is some consolation for the Government in the fact that the Opposition parties are actually losing support, but the poll also indicates that the Coalition has inspired no great enthusiasm among the electorate since taking office just over six months ago. In the longer term that could spell trouble, particularly if the Government has to adopt serious budgetary measures in response to a trans-Atlantic trade war. READ MORE When it comes to satisfaction with the party leaders, Micheál Martin has widened his lead over Simon Harris and Mary Lou McDonald while satisfaction with the Government has remained the same since April. In party terms Fianna Fáil has seen no change in support since April, retaining 22 per cent of the vote. Sinn Féin has exactly the same vote share but this represents a drop of four points since the last poll while Fine Gael has gained one point from a very low base to 17 per cent. The Fine Gael vote in Dublin is holding up reasonably well and it is the biggest party in the capital, marginally ahead of Sinn Féin and well ahead of its Coalition partner. However, the party appears to have a serious problem in Munster where it continues to struggle. For Fianna Fáil the story is the reverse. The party's vote is holding up well everywhere, apart from Dublin where it continues to languish in third place. Sinn Féin will be disappointed not to have built on the significant increase it achieved in the last poll. Instead its support has slipped back close to what it achieved in last year's election. It indicates the challenge facing the party if it runs a candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. It all indicates a fractured political landscape and uncertainty among many voters about which party should get their support. A vital period now lies ahead, with the tariff situation on a knife-edge and the budget coming into view. The decisions made in the coming months could yet be defining for this Dáil term.
Irish Independent
39 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Explainer: How Ireland faces uphill battle to defend farm grants and protect corporate tax revenues after EU budget changes
The EU has unveiled a dramatically changed budget structure that would fundamentally vary the way funds are raised and spent. The changes unveiled yesterday raise fears for Irish farming and business more generally.
Irish Independent
39 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Taoiseach hits back after US ambassador to Israel says Irish have ‘fallen into a vat of Guinness' over Occupied Territories Bill
Yesterday, Mike Huckabee reposted on X an article from The Jerusalem Post that said the bill – which would ban imports of Israeli goods from occupied Palestine – 'could increase antisemitism and harm Jewish communities'. Mr Huckabee asked whether the Irish had 'fallen into a vat of Guinness', and said Ireland should call the Israeli Foreign Ministry and apologise. 'Did the Irish fall into a vat of Guinness and propose something so stupid that it would be attributed to act of diplomatic intoxication?' Mr Huckabee wrote on X. 'It will harm Arabs as much as Israelis. Sober up, Ireland! Call @IsraelMFA and say you're sorry.' Micheál Martin rejected the remarks, adding that what was happening in Gaza was 'beyond any moral compass'. 'The situation is very serious in Gaza, including an appalling loss of human life. Terrible war crimes are being committed,' Mr Martin said. 'Ireland has consistently condemned Hamas, and we equally condemn Israeli breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza. 'The slaughter of children must stop. The slaughter of innocent civilians queuing for food must stop. 'Ireland stands for peace and a political pathway forward.' Mr Martin was asked about the comments made by Mr Huckabee while speaking to reporters yesterday. He appeared to mistake the comments as coming from an Israeli representative. ADVERTISEMENT He strongly criticised the Israeli government, and said: 'Israel needs to focus on ending the war that is slaughtering innocent children and civilians. The Israeli ambassador, if that's who you're referring to, should concentrate on that, and should be apologising to the families of children who've been slaughtered. 'The time for this war to end is long past. We've condemned the behaviour of Hamas. I won't be subject to misinformation from the Israeli government or from the ambassador. It's not good enough.' Later, when clarification was sought on his comments, a statement from the Taoiseach was issued in which he said he rejected the comments made by Mr Huckabee. Mr Martin said the Government would not bow to pressure from the US to scrap the bill, which is currently undergoing scrutiny at the Foreign Affairs Committee. 'No, we are going ahead with the bill. I have said previously that there have been issues in terms of [also banning the import of] services, and the impact that might have on multinational companies based in Ireland, inadvertently,' Mr Martin said. 'We don't want companies that are based in Ireland, employing people, punished in any shape or form. 'That would be counterproductive in terms of the objective being to leverage pressure on Israel, not on Ireland.'
