Publications

Shab’a Farms, the hilly ridge that forms the western extension of Mount Hermon next to Israel’s primary water source, appeared on the agenda after the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000, and it reemerged prominently during and after the Second Lebanon War. The Lebanese government has repeatedly demanded possession of Shab’a Farms, known in Israel as Mount Dov. Security Council resolution 1701 explicitly includes it as an issue to be discussed in the context of relations between Lebanon and Israel and instructs the UN secretary-general to submit to the Security Council recommendations for resolving the dispute. In addition, President Bashar Asad pointed out in a television interview on September 26, 2006 that before all else Israel must withdraw from Shab’a Farms; and in the Lebanese press there are public announcements from the Lebanese government calling for former residents of the farms to come forward and present their ownership papers.

The aim of this essay is to outline the Shab’a Farms dispute: what it actually is about, how Israel arrived at it, and how it evolved – and continued to evolve – into an issue. This will generate a factual basis for public debate over Israel’s policy on the matter.