ISRAEL: GHAJAR: RELOCATION OF SLA PERSONNEL

(7 May 2000) Arabic/Nat

The Israeli-Arab village of Ghajar, has been named as a possible site for the relocation of S-L-A personnel and their families, following any Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon.

The Israeli government has not spoken about the purpose of the site - but it is believed it could be used as a location for a caravan park for any S-L-A personnel wishing to come to Israel.

The Arab- Israeli village of Ghajar is on the Israeli-Lebanese border.

The concreted area lies just metres from the future border with Lebanon.

It is believed it that Ghajar could be used as a possible site for the relocation of S-L-A personnel wishing to come to Israel.

For the past eighteen years the Israeli army has occupied a strip of land in south Lebanon to protect its border against guerrilla attacks.

But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has promised to withdraw the troops by early July.

The possible fate of S-L-A soldiers and their families following any withdrawal is not clear.

Hezbollah has said that only senior S-L-A officers with "blood on their hands" will be "punished".

The Lebanese government has said that it has the right to try all S-L-A soldiers as "collaborators".

The S-L-A is comprised of Christians, Shi'ite Muslims and Druze - all of whom feel a strong attachment to their land.

The head of the village of 1-thousand 700 residents, Salman Mohammed Khatib, is opposed to any relocation of S-L-A personnel on the village's land.

SOUNDBITE: (Arabic)
"If my land is not big enough for me how can they think of bringing more people here? There's no space here for me to build a room or a school for my son. How can I accept for someone else to live here? This will harm us and our future."
SUPER CAPTION: Salman Mohammed Khatib, head of the Ghajar village council

Meanwhile the Israeli government has prepared a 1.8 (b) billion shekel (450 (m) million U-S dollar) plan to help the Israeli civilian population on the Lebanese border cope with economic and security problems.

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