{
  "id": "RL31078",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31078",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101067,
      "date": "2001-08-07",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:21:56.335941",
      "title": "The Shib'a Farms Dispute and Its Implications",
      "summary": "Israel\u2019s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000 left several small but sensitive\nterritorial\nissues unresolved, notably, a roughly 10 square mile enclave at the southern edge of the\nLebanese-Syrian border known as the Shib\u2019a Farms. Israel did not evacuate this enclave,\narguing\nthat it is not Lebanese territory but rather is a part of the Syrian Golan Heights, which Israel occupied\nin 1967. Lebanon, supported by Syria, asserts that this territory is part of Lebanon and should have\nbeen evacuated by Israel when the latter abandoned its self-declared security zone in May 2000. On\nJune 16, 2000, the U.N. Secretary General informed the Security Council that the requirement for\nIsrael to withdraw from Lebanon had been met. The Secretary General pointed out, however, that\nthe U.N. determination does not prejudice the rights of Syria and Lebanon to agree on an\ninternational boundary in the future.\n \n This obscure enclave has become a focal point for tensions in the Lebanese-Israeli-Syrian\nborder area in the aftermath of Israel\u2019s withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Neither the\nLebanese\nArmed Forces nor the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has established an effective presence\nin the border territory vacated by Israel in 2000. The Lebanese Shi\u2019ite Muslim militia\nHizballah,\nwhich had spearheaded a guerrilla war against Israeli forces in Lebanon, has continued to mount\nraids against Israeli forces in the Shib\u2019a Farms area. Israel blames Syria, which maintains\nover\n20,000 troops in Lebanon, for tolerating or inciting the Hizballah attacks and has retaliated against\nSyrian military installations in Lebanon. As these clashes continue, observers fear that they could\nescalate into a higher level of conflict.\n \n There are various alternatives that might break the cycle of violence centered on the\nShib\u2019a\nFarms area: wider deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces or UNIFIL, a formal Lebanese-Syrian\nborder agreement confirming Lebanese sovereignty over the Shib\u2019a Farms, or Israeli\nwithdrawal\nfrom the Shib\u2019a Farms area. All of these would require Syrian and Israeli concurrence,\nwhich does\nnot seem likely at this time. Syria may see continued tension over the Shib\u2019a Farms as a\nmeans of\nkeeping pressure on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights territory. Israel, on its part, is\nprobably wary of taking any steps that might strengthen the position of Syria or Hizballah in\nsoutheastern Lebanon.\n \n The Shib\u2019a Farms area remains a source of tension and potential risk. Beyond its small\nsize and\nlimited strategic value, the Shib\u2019a Farms area has become yet another symbol of the\nintractability of\nbroader Arab-Israeli issues. If unresolved, it could lead to an increase in tensions and localized\nconflict that would further complicate U.S. efforts to bring peace to the region.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Middle Eastern Affairs"
  ]
}