Israel Procrastinates on Pullout from Ghajar
Media reports differed on Israel”s withdrawal from the northern part of the border village of Ghajar, with some saying that a pullout would come after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu”s visit to Washington.
An Nahar daily said Tuesday that Israel informed U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy that it was "ready to look into the withdrawal from northern Ghajar based upon the results of military negotiations in Lebanon under the sponsorship of UNIFIL."
However, U.N. sources said Israeli officials told Le Roy during his visit to Israel last week that Netanyahu was busy preparing for his May 18 visit to Washington.
The sources described Netanyahu”s stance as a "test," adding that if he were to order a withdrawal from the Lebanese side of Ghajar, he would do it during his talks with U.S. President Barack Obama in order to show a positive stance on Israeli pullout from some occupied territories.
Israeli daily Haaretz, However, has reported that the Jewish state would not pull out of the northern part of Ghajar if Hizbullah wins the June 7 parliamentary elections.