Joint statement by four countries: Israel's attacks on the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon must stop immediately
Israel's attacks on the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) violate international law and must stop immediately, Italy, Great Britain, France and Germany announced today.
In a joint statement, the four countries highlighted UNIFIL's "key stabilizing role" in southern Lebanon and added that Israel and other parties must guarantee the peacekeepers' safety at all times.
The UNIFIL mission, in which European soldiers also participate, said that the Israeli army had attacked it several times in the past few days.
Israel has called on the UN to leave the area because it is targeting Hezbollah forces there.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today rejected claims that his country is deliberately targeting UNIFIL members, calling them "completely false" and again called for the peacekeepers to withdraw from the territory.
Netanyahu claims that the Israeli military is doing everything it can to avoid casualties among UNIFIL members when attacking Hezbollah targets.
- The best way to ensure the safety of UNIFIL personnel is to obey Israel's request and temporarily move out of the way of danger, he pointed out.