Who was the dreaded broker Mughrabi who shed blood in Israel, the connection with the Blue Line which worried even India

New Delhi: On March 11, 1978, some terrorist fighters of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by the dreaded terrorist broker Mughrabi, carried out a major massacre inside Israel, in which 37 Israelis, including 13 children, lost their lives. At the same time, 76 Israelis were injured. In retaliation Israeli forces invaded southern Lebanon, from where the PLO regularly carried out terrorist missions during the 1970s. Starting on the intervening night of March 14–15 and lasting for a few days, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops captured the entire southern part of Lebanon except the city of Tire and its surrounding area. It is from here that the importance of the Blue Line began, about the security of which India has also expressed concern. Know the complete story of Blue Line and its controversy.

When Mughrabi shed blood on the streets of Israel

Dalal Mughrabi was very beautiful in appearance, but she was a very dangerous Palestinian terrorist. She was a member of the Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It carried out a major massacre with 11 fighters in the Israeli coastal area on March 11, 1978. he/she hijacked two buses and started taking them towards the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. The objective was to kill as many Israelis as possible through bombing and firing. A peace talks were also going on at that time. 9 terrorists including Mughrabi were killed in retaliation by Israeli security forces. Mughrabi has been declared a terrorist by Israel and the United Nations.

What was Operation Litani, what was its purpose

The Israeli Defense Forces then conducted an operation known as Operation Litani. Its objective was to clear PLO bases in Lebanon south of the Litani River. The reason for this operation was to better secure northern Israel and to support Christian Lebanese militias in the Lebanese Civil War. After this operation, Hezbollah was born in Lebanon.
Will Hezbollah become a ‘bloodbath’? Israel is not repeating the mistake of 42 years ago.

When the Lebanese government reached the United Nations

On March 15, 1978, the Lebanese government lodged a strong protest with the United Nations Security Council against the Israeli invasion, stating that it had no connection with the Palestinian operation. On March 19, 1978, the Council adopted Resolution 425, in which it called on Israel to immediately cease its military actions and withdraw its forces from all Lebanese areas. It also established the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The first UNIFIL forces arrived in the area on 23 March 1978.

What is the Blue Line, who created this line?

A temporary border between Israel and Lebanon, known as the Blue Line. This line was determined by the United Nations in 2000, when Israel withdrew its forces from southern Lebanon. This is not an official international border but a demarcation line. The story of the Blue Line begins 104 years ago in the 1920s, when Britain and France drew this line between Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. Israel was not even born then. UNIFIL is its custodian.

Blue Line is 120 kilometers long

The underlined blue line decided by the United Nations is 120 kilometers long. It separates Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights. It was decided by the United Nations on June 7, 2000 from this line that Israel has now completely withdrawn from Lebanon. The United Nations Security Council and NATO established the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as a peacekeeping force to monitor the situation in southern Lebanon.

UN had decided the Blue Line in 2000

The blue line is based on IDF deployments before March 14, 1978. In 1923, 38 boundary markers were placed along the 49-mile boundary. In the year 2000, the UN decided the Blue Line. The United Nations will conduct its survey along the lines discussed in UN Security Council Resolution 425.

Understand the connection between Sankalp 425 and Blue Line

The UN cartographer and his/her team, with the assistance of UNIFIL, identified a line to be adopted for practical purposes of confirming Israel’s withdrawal. However, it was agreed that this would not be a formal demarcation. Its objective is to establish an internationally recognized border line for Lebanon. On June 7, 2000, the complete map showing the Blue Line i.e. the return line was prepared. On June 16, the UN Secretary-General told the Security Council that Israel had withdrawn its forces from Lebanon in accordance with Resolution 425 (1978). Since then this line came to be called the Blue Line in all UN documents.

There is a Blue Line, but sometimes there is bloody conflict too.

Even after accepting the Blue Line as the actual border, this border dispute still persists. Lebanon alleges that Israel is still occupying Lebanese land. As of October 2023, US government official Amos Hochstein, who had helped resolve the Israeli-Lebanese maritime border dispute, was negotiating to resolve the land border dispute.

Is UN peacekeeping force present on the Blue Line?

Peacekeeping forces are present in Lebanon’s Tire area adjacent to the Blue Line, 30 kilometers from the Israeli border. There are also Indian soldiers in it. Hezbollah has no presence here. There are settlements of Palestinian refugees between Tire and Sidon. Hezbollah has a large presence here.

Border disputes keep happening on 13-14 points

Border disputes continue to occur over points 13 and 14, including Gajar village, Sheba Farms and the hills around Kafarchouba. Former Lebanese Ambassador Dorothy Shea had said that at least 7 disputed points had been resolved through talks. A retired Lebanese general described most of the disputed areas as a battle for a few centimeters.

Israel has pulled down a 130 km long concrete-steel wall

By September 2018, Israel had built an 11-kilometer concrete Israel-Lebanon border on the Israeli side of the demarcation line to protect Israeli communities from infiltration by Hezbollah militants. The length of the barrier is 130 kilometers. Steel mesh, sensors and surveillance cameras have been installed in this concrete wall.

Why did the Foreign Ministry say – the sanctity of the UN should be respected

The sanctity of UN premises must be respected by all and appropriate measures must be taken to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers and the sanctity of their workplace, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in its statement.

10 thousand peacekeepers are deployed in South Lebanon

In fact, recently two of its peacekeepers were injured in the attack by Israel Defense Forces on the United Nations headquarters in South Lebanon. The attack drew widespread international condemnation. Israel acknowledged that its forces opened fire in the area and maintained that Hezbollah militants were active near UN positions. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, has about 10,000 peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon. The UN is continuously appealing for a ceasefire.