Lebanese envoy flags Israel’s ‘disregard’ for UN, calls on India to put more pressure

Lebanese envoy criticizes Israel's aggressive attacks on UNIFIL, calls for India to pressure Netanyahu, and sends humanitarian aid to Lebanon.

The “deliberate attack” on United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) is not new and this is a “pattern” used by Israel to intimidate the UN, Lebanon’s Ambassador To India Rabie Narsh said on Friday (October 18, 2024). Mr. Narsh said that this is the idea of the “aggressive” nature of Israel. He called upon India to put more pressure on Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We call upon them to put more pressure on Netanyahu himself and his government to end this war. India can as it has strong presence globally and since India is a peace loving country and is investing in peace…,” the envoy said while speaking to reporters.

“Again and again Israel has been disregarding UN and its agencies. The UN Secretary General is put on blacklist from entering Israel… This can give you the idea of the aggressive nature of Israel. They are not willing to listen to any voice of trust or criticism,” the envoy replied to a question from The Hindu on the recent attacks on UNIFIL. “They are under threat. The situation is serious.”

In this regard, he referred to the attack that occurred few months ago on a UN vehicle which resulted in the killing of retired Indian Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale who the envoy said lost his life while providing humanitarian assistance. “This only shows the disregard of Israel to the UN and the international community.”

At the weekly press conference on Thursday on the attacks on UNIFIL, Mr. Jaiswal said that the Indian government took the safety of its peacekeepers very seriously. “We have also called for, as I told you, the safety of our peacekeepers. There were some reports about peacekeepers getting some skin rashes etc. On that, UNIFIL has issued a statement. They have not shared any report with us. But in that particular zone we don’t have any of our Indian troops, but we continue to call for the safety of our troops,” he added.

Noting that the US is funding Israel, providing it with the latest technology and weapons, Mr. Narsh said, “But then you hear US officials say they cannot control Netanyahu. You can. If you want, you can,” he said. “Netanyahu is a war criminal, and I’m not saying this emotionally. The International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court have issued a warrant against Netanyahu because they said they have credible proof that he committed war crimes. So he is a war criminal, but still, he is the spoiled child of the US, of the administration,” the envoy said.

Mr. Narsh hoped that the outcome of the upcoming US presidential elections, scheduled for November 5, would bring about a new administration brave enough to say “enough is enough” to the killing, destruction and war. “Let’s build peace,” he stressed.