Israels landgrab in Lebanon

Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian people who find themselves behind Israel’s yellow line buffer zone see their homes destroyed and their families torn apart. Is Israel trying to expand its territory at the cost of its neighbours?

Southern Lebanon is under Israeli occupation. The Israeli army has drawn a ‘yellow line’ across the country, marking the territory of its northern neighbour that Israel considers a security concern: a buffer zone in which Lebanese residents are treated as legitimate targets. The international community has voiced serious concerns that Israel’s presence on Lebanese territory could become a permanent occupation. Meanwhile houses are demolished to prevent the return of Lebanese refugees.

The situation in Lebanon is reminiscent of what Israel has already done in Gaza, where Palestinians have also been displaced beyond an imaginary yellow line. Israel is also steadily expanding its territorial control in Syria through an ever-growing buffer zone.

Meanwhile, prominent Israeli politicians such as Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir subscribe to the ideology of ‘Greater Israel’: the belief that Israel’s borders should extend far beyond their current limits. Prime Minister Netanyahu, too, has also flirted with this idea. Is Israel trying to expand its territory at the cost of its neighbours?

Tonight, we will discuss how a security concern has turned into a question of buffer zones and land grabbing. What does that mean for Israel’s neighbouring countries? And how is life for local inhabitants inside the yellow line, where houses systematically are being destroyed and families separated?