Israel will pull out of Ghajar, a small town on the Lebanese border that Israel acquired when it took over the Golan Heights, with residents in the early 1980s accepting Israeli citizenship. Ghajar residents are predominantly Muslim, with the town divided in half on each side of the border. Israel has been pressured to leave the town and unify it under Lebanese rule.
From the State Department:
“The United States welcomes the announcement today by Israel’s Security Cabinet that it accepts in principle the proposal offered by the UNIFIL Force Commander, providing for the complete withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Lebanese territory in and around the village of Ghajar. The United States encourages Israel and the UN to complete the technical details necessary to implement this proposal rapidly and thereby protect the rights of the affected civilians and further the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006), which aims for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.”
