Residents of Lebanon border town protest Israel decision to withdraw unilaterally

[shira]

Israel's cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to withdraw troops unilaterally from a disputed village straddling the Lebanese border. The vote was made as a gesture to the United Nations, but drew residents onto the streets protesting the division of their community.

The people of Ghajar, a prosperous hillside town of 2,300 who are members of Syria's Alawite sect, say they want no "Berlin Wall" dividing the north from the south of their village and forcing them to choose between Lebanon or Israel.

They say they were not consulted on UN plans to resolve a situation that has long inflamed tensions between Israel, the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla group and neighboring Syria.

"We don't know what's going to happen when the Israelis pull back. We're afraid the village will be cut in two, and in Ghajar we're all one big family," said local council head Ahmed Fatali.

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http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/residents-of-lebanon-border-town-protest-israel-decision-to-withdraw-unilaterally-1.325219