Farewell, Golan Heights

What are Filipino troopers doing on the Golan Heights? Just in case some of our readers are not too familiar with this particular piece of Middle Eastern territory, let me provide some historical background.

The Golan Heights in southwestern Syria is a rocky plateau of some 700 square miles bounded by Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. From 1948 to 1967, it provided Syrian forces with a strategic vantage point for their artillery to practically place under fire the whole of northern Israel. For Israel, the area is an important water resource and provides more than 15 percent of the country’s water requirement. It therefore has been and remains a key position in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

On June 5, 1967, in what has come to be known as the Six-Day War, Israel launched a lightning air assault against Egypt with Israel Air Force planes attacking and destroying some 285 enemy aircraft, most of which were caught on the ground. The brilliant air campaign showcased the superb discipline and training of its pilots and ground crew that allowed planes to return and quickly rearm for succeeding sorties. The successful attack gave Israel complete air superiority over the battlefield that led to other victories.

In a six-day period, Israeli forces captured the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank and the Old City of Jerusalem. They then attacked and occupied the Golan Heights along the border between the two countries.

During the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Syrian forces attempted to take back the Heights but were repulsed by an Israeli counter-offensive. A ceasefire agreement in 1974 left most of the Heights in Israeli hands.

The agreement brought about the creation of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (Undof) composed of more than 1,000 UN peacekeepers (Blue Helmets) to separate the combatants in the area and establish a buffer zone between the two forces. The Undof consists of troops from six contributing member countries; more than 300 are Filipino troopers under Undof command. The previous Undof commander was a Filipino, Maj. Gen. Natalio Ecarma III of the Philippine Marines. After his Golan tour of duty in August 2012, Ecarma was appointed undersecretary in the defense department. The first Filipino UN force commander was Lt. Gen. Jaime de los Santos, who headed UN forces in East Timor in 2000, and who later served as commanding general, Philippine Army.

In 1981, Israel passed the Golan Heights Law that extended Israeli law and administration throughout the territory. The continuous Israel control of the Golan Heights is considered illegal under the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions. Israeli settlements on the occupied land also draw criticism from the United Nations. The presence of the Undof in the area has not always prevented incursions by both sides. In fact it has aided in making more permanent Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights. In 2010, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Syria “to abandon its dreams of recovering the Golan Heights.”

With the outbreak of civil war in Syria and the emergence of a more serious terrorist threat in the region, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis), the presence of Filipino troops in disputed areas of conflict like the Golan Heights puts them in dangerous and precarious situations that we may not be able to address properly even with United Nations support. The different factions that comprise opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad make things even more complicated. Aside from Assad government forces, one must be prepared to deal with numerous rebel groups with different objectives and ideologies.

During the Bosnian War, in 1995-1996, a 400-man Dutch battalion under the operational command of the United Nations Protection Force, participated in peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia. One of its primary roles was to safeguard the Muslim enclave of Srebenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

When the enclave was surrounded by Bosnian Serb forces, the Dutch battalion made an urgent request for assistance and air support from the United Nations. The support never materialized when Serb forces threatened to execute members of the Dutch battalion who had been seized as hostages. The Serbs then proceeded to separate the town’s Muslim male population from the women and children. Some 8,000 Muslim men of different ages were massacred in an ethnic cleansing operation.

An official investigation conducted by the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation had the following conclusions:

• The mission was not suitably prepared.

• The non-Dutch in-charge of air support refused to give aid as requested.

• The Netherlands and the United Nations did not perform their duty.

The damaging report led to the fall of the government of Prime Minister Wim Kok.

In light of current developments in Syria and Iraq, withdrawal of Philippine troops from the Golan Heights would not only be a prudent move but would be in the best interests of the nation. The conditions now existing in the region have drastically changed and it is time to bring home the troops. We have carried out our share of responsibilities in the past. It is time for others to take up the burden.

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Attention: Land Bank of the Philippines.

In the past, many AFP pensioners drew their retirement checks from Camp Aguinaldo. Since last month, the Department of Budget and Management instituted measures requiring them to get their pensions through ATMs of government banks like Land Bank. Unfortunately, many are complaining of the frequency of Land Bank ATMs’ running out of cash, especially during long weekends following or close to payday. While it is possible to proceed to other outlets, this is time-consuming and can be costly for those who can least afford additional expenses.

A little more planning and preparation by the bank would ensure that this situation is minimized, particularly in areas of greater AFP pensioner density.