The Blue Line Dispute

When Israel withdrew from Lebanon the UN drew a thin blue line to separate the two countries.

the blue line dispute

South Lebanon is one of the most volatile frontlines of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is a place where international borders are poorly-defined and disputed.

The Shebaa Farms – a sliver of land between Lebanon and Syria – has come to symbolise the potential of such ambiguous demarcations to spark hostilities.

IN depth

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 The Blue Line Dispute
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 Lebanon’s Palestinians
 Lebanon occupation’s bitter legacy
 Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon

The area was captured by Israel in 1967, along with the Golan Heights from Syria.

To this day, the Israelis remain there.

Lebanon says it owns the Shebaa Farms and Syria agrees.

But the United Nations has ruled that the area belongs to Syria.

When Israel withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000 and the UN drew the Blue Line to verify their withdrawal, it placed the Shebaa Farms outside of Lebanon and within the Syrian Golan Heights, which are currently occupied by Israel.

Now Israel says it will only withdraw from the area via negotiations with Syria.

The Blue Line Dispute travels to the disputed region to see how the disagreement over the Shebaa Farms region is impacting those living there and whether the tensions along the border could ignite further hostilities.

The Blue Line Dispute first aired on May 23, 2010.

Source: Al Jazeera