Haaretz: Israel Set to Quit Occupied Ghajar to Bolster Saniora
Readers Number : 210
03/05/2009 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to announce this week that Israel is interested in withdrawing from the northern part of the village of Ghajar on the border with Lebanon, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.
The daily added that a senior political source in Jerusalem said on Saturday that Netanyahu wants to respond to the American request on the matter; “the move would also be a goodwill gesture to the government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora ahead of Lebanese parliamentary elections in early June,” the source said.
The US administration (or Washington) says an Israeli withdrawal from Ghajar or a declaration of intent before the elections in Lebanon will bolster the moderate camp there.
Ghajar was annexed in 1981 and is therefore subject to UN Resolution 425 issued in 1978 which calls for the Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories in Lebanon .
Nonetheless, Haaretz said, Netanyahu hopes to issue an announcement on the matter to bolster moderates in Lebanon before his trip to Washington, scheduled for May 17.
The Israeli political source said Ghajar is high on Netanyahu's agenda, both because of the U.S. position and the Lebanese vote.
"The idea of offering a goodwill gesture ahead of the [Lebanese] elections is obvious, but a debate is underway ... on how best to do it, and a decision will be made this week," the source told Haaretz.
Israel wants to ensure that a deal is signed with the Lebanese government under UN auspices to signal that Hezbollah was not involved.
Readers Number : 210
03/05/2009 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to announce this week that Israel is interested in withdrawing from the northern part of the village of Ghajar on the border with Lebanon, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.
The daily added that a senior political source in Jerusalem said on Saturday that Netanyahu wants to respond to the American request on the matter; “the move would also be a goodwill gesture to the government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora ahead of Lebanese parliamentary elections in early June,” the source said.
The US administration (or Washington) says an Israeli withdrawal from Ghajar or a declaration of intent before the elections in Lebanon will bolster the moderate camp there.
Ghajar was annexed in 1981 and is therefore subject to UN Resolution 425 issued in 1978 which calls for the Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories in Lebanon .
Nonetheless, Haaretz said, Netanyahu hopes to issue an announcement on the matter to bolster moderates in Lebanon before his trip to Washington, scheduled for May 17.
The Israeli political source said Ghajar is high on Netanyahu's agenda, both because of the U.S. position and the Lebanese vote.
"The idea of offering a goodwill gesture ahead of the [Lebanese] elections is obvious, but a debate is underway ... on how best to do it, and a decision will be made this week," the source told Haaretz.
Israel wants to ensure that a deal is signed with the Lebanese government under UN auspices to signal that Hezbollah was not involved.
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