Benjamin Netanyahu hints at Israeli action in Golan Heights
Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned that Israel would fill the vacuum left by a disintegrating UN peacekeeping unit in the Golan Heights amid reports that Israeli and Syrian recently came close to their biggest direct clash in 40 years.
Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara (Getty)
12:28PM BST 09 Jun 2013
Addressing a weekly cabinet meeting, the Israeli prime minister said Israel would not intervene in the Syrian conflict "as long as fire is not being directed at us".
But he said international forces in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria could no longer be relied upon to keep the peace - suggesting that Israeli forces could be forced to intervene for self-defence purposes.
"Only last week, we saw battles close to out border on the Golan Heights," he said. "The crumbling of the UN force on the Golan Heights underscores the fact that Israel cannot depend on international forces for its security. They can be part of the arrangements. They cannot be the basic foundation of Israel's security."
Mr Netanyahu's remarks came after it was disclosed that Israel had warned Syria that it was prepared to act after the Syrian army moved five tanks and five personnel carriers into the demilitarised zone between the two countries last Thursday in breach of a longstanding ceasefire agreement.
Israeli commanders refrained only after an appeal from their Syrian counterparts, who said they had moved into the area only to expel rebels who had taken over the border town of Quneitra, according to a report presented to the UN security council.
The report, prepared by Herve Ladsous, UN under-secretary general for peacekeeping operations and disclosed by an American blogger, Nabil Abi Saab, revealed that the two sides had communicated through the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which has stationed peacekeeping troops in the Golan since 1974.
"The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) informed the UNDOF Force Commander that should the movement of SAAF tanks continue, the IDF would take action," the report said. "The UNDOF force commander conveyed the message to the Senior Syrian Arab Delegate (SSAD). The SSAD informed the UNDOF force commander that the presence of the tanks was solely for the purpose of fighting the armed members of the opposition and asked that the IDF not take action."
UNDOF's future role has been jeopardised after Austria announced it was withdrawing more than 300 of its troops from the force, citing fears for their safety amid the intensifying battles in the Golan region.
An offer by Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, to replace them with Russian forces has been ruled out because the ceasefire agreement stipulates that troops from UN security council permanent member states - which includes Russia - should not be part of the force. Israel also rejects Russia as a neutral observer because of Moscow's support for Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president.
Mr Netanyahu said he had discussed the issue with Mr Putin in a weekend telephone conversation.
"The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) informed the UNDOF Force Commander that should the movement of SAAF tanks continue, the IDF would take action," the report said. "The UNDOF force commander conveyed the message to the Senior Syrian Arab Delegate (SSAD). The SSAD informed the UNDOF force commander that the presence of the tanks was solely for the purpose of fighting the armed members of the opposition and asked that the IDF not take action."
UNDOF's future role has been jeopardised after Austria announced it was withdrawing more than 300 of its troops from the force, citing fears for their safety amid the intensifying battles in the Golan region.
An offer by Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, to replace them with Russian forces has been ruled out because the ceasefire agreement stipulates that troops from UN security council permanent member states - which includes Russia - should not be part of the force. Israel also rejects Russia as a neutral observer because of Moscow's support for Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president.
Mr Netanyahu said he had discussed the issue with Mr Putin in a weekend telephone conversation.
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