Saturday, August 22, 2020

Just Change the Name to Reflect Reality

I admire the Israelis for trying to make UNIFIL an effective force in southern Lebanon. But it is futile. Israel should simply try to get the name to reflect reality so there is no confusion.

Aim for the fences, I guess:

As the United Nations prepares to renew the mandate of its peacekeeping operation in southern Lebanon, Israel is working with Security Council members to push for tough changes in the way the force deals with the Hezbollah militant group, Israeli officials said Wednesday.

Israeli diplomatic and military officials say the force, known as UNIFIL, has been largely ineffective and see the upcoming vote on extending its mandate as an opportunity to make reforms.

Being ineffective is a feature and not a bug. I'll go back to my old post and suggest the name of UNIFUTILE--or perhaps UNIFAIL.