Nadene Goldfoot
Israel has IDF troops in southern Lebanon because Israel maintains troops in southern Lebanon to establish a security buffer zone, dismantle Hezbollah's underground infrastructure and weapon caches, and prevent the group from launching cross-border attacks that threaten tens of thousands of displaced residents in northern Israel.
Residents of northern Israel have experienced one massive, prolonged wave of displacement rather than multiple repeated evacuation orders. Following the outbreak of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah on October 8, 2023, the Israeli government officially evacuated roughly 60,000 to 80,000 residents from communities near the Lebanese border.
Duration: Most families remained displaced for over a year due to continuous rocket, missile, and drone fire.
Return Process: Following a ceasefire agreement in late 2024, a gradual and phased return began, though heavy infrastructure damage and lingering security concerns meant that some residents remained away or chose not to return permanently.
Defense Minister Katz visited IDF troops in southern Lebanon
yesterday and said that, “the IDF is here to stay in the security zones
in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. I instructed the IDF to take all
necessary steps to prepare for a long-term presence in
the area.”
He did NOT say "permanent" presence.
In addressing another spot of contention, there was
an Israeli Outpost established near Palestinian homes in the village
of Qusra in another part of land, Samaria, home of our original
ancestors led here by Moses. Qusra is a Palestinian
village located in Samaria (the West Bank (Samaria), about
16.3 kilometers southeast of Nablus (Shechem in bible)
Bordered by towns like Duma and Jalud, the village has been a focal
point of recent friction and
international attention following unauthorized settler outpost activity
and subsequent military enforcement in the area. It sits in the
Samaria/Nablus region of Samaria (the West Bank).
Security forces arrived
overnight to evacuate the outpost.
Security forces arrived overnight to evacuate the
outpost established near Palestinian homes in the village of
Qusra in northern Samaria, which had left several
Palestinian families trapped in their homes for 4 days.
The failure to evacuate the outpost sooner sparked
outrage in the
international community and even led to a statement in which
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described those
who established the outpost as “Israeli terrorists” and called
on the state to “remove them” from the site. One of the
besieged homes is owned by an American citizen who lives in
Ohio.
Settlements Are Another Group of Homes
AI defines it thusly: An Israeli settlement is a civilian
community built by Israeli citizens on land captured by Israel
during the 1967 Six-Day War, primarily located in the West
Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as previously in the Gaza
Strip and the Golan Heights. But to Israelis:
Twenty-one years after the evacuation of settlements in
northern Samaria, and following a Cabinet decision to
legalize dozens of settlements, families from the Ganim
community moved back to the site Thursday and
reestablished the settlement.
Dozens of caravans were placed
there to house the families and a branch of the Bnei David
educational institutions was established at the site. Alongside
the return to Ganim and the resettlement of Homesh and Sa.
Some two dozen prefabricated homes installed, with construction ongoing; IDF carries out demolitions of nearby Palestinian stores and blocks roads to adjacent villages.
Resource:
-Nur, the Kadim settlement is also expected to be reestablished soon, a move that would complete the reversal of the disengagement from northern Samaria.
