The village’s division is an unusual byproduct of the decades of conflict between Israel and its neighbors. In the early 2000s, Yassin used to take his herds to drink at a pond there but has since been cut off. peacekeeping force UNIFIL watched from a distance. “This is Lebanese land, not Israeli,” said Lebanese shepherd Ali Yassin Diab, pointing to the half of Ghajar being enclosed by the Israeli wall as he grazed his sheep and goats nearby. Within Israel, moves by the hard-right government to overhaul the judicial system have sparked large anti-government protests. The West Bank has seen increased bloodshed the past week, with a major two-day offensive that Israel says targeted Palestinian militants. The dispute over a small village in the green hills where Lebanon, Israel and Syria meet brings a new point of worry amid broader unrest. The two sides have studiously avoided outright battle ever since, despite frequent flare-ups of tension - but each constantly says a new conflict could erupt at any time. The growing tensions over Ghajar add to the jitters along the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah fought a destructive 34-day war in the summer of 2006. ![]() A recent exchange of fire in the area raised alarm that the dispute could trigger violence. Israel has been building a wall around the half of the village in Lebanese territory, triggering condemnation from the Lebanese militiant force Hezbollah, accusing Israel of moving to annex the site. But after a long period of calm, the dispute has begun to heat up again. KFAR CHOUBA – The little village of Ghajar has been a sore point between Israel and Lebanon for years, split in two by the border between Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
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