Haaretz: Israel Considering Pullout from Ghajar”s Lebanese Side
Israel has told the United States that it was ready to withdraw from the northern part of the divided village of Ghajar, a move that the Israeli daily Haartez described as a shift in the policy of the Jewish state.
A government source in Jerusalem told Haartez that the decision was taken after the Lebanese government made written assurances that U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon would be given security and civilian control over the northern part of the village, which is in Lebanese territory.
"The Americans have been asking us for a long time to move ahead on the Lebanon issue and after receiving the letter, it was decided to show a more positive stance," the source told the daily in remarks published Monday.
"The Israel Defense Forces Planning Branch and the Northern Command are now at work on the details of the withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar," Haaretz said.
It said that Israel handed over to UNIFIL commander Gen. Claudio Graziano about two weeks ago an official letter stating that the Jewish state accepts U.N. security and civilian control over the northern part of Ghajar.