Personal story of Major Craig Kingston, RACMP - 2001

Few, if any, Australians want their soldiers to deploy on operations as combatants. The soldiers and officers, however, when called upon are generally keen to deploy to do their bit and be given the opportunity to put into practice all their years of training. I like to draw the analogy from sport that it is similar to training to play a sport for years and never getting a chance to test your skills in a game. If the opportunity to play in a game came along then you would be "chomping at the bit" to give it a go. In Australia’s case in had been a long time between big games. Unfortunately I did not get the opportunity to deploy to East Timor with the large Australian contingent as a player in the main game.

My deployment on operations to an observer mission did not give me a chance to play as a combatant, however I got to do the next best thing and umpire in a game. This gave me the opportunity to get close to the action with little risk of being directly targeted (a case the AFL umpires might argue given to recent spate of collisions). I got to influence, with varying degrees of success, what was happening and was able to report to the "League" in an objective and unbiased manner as to what was the state of play.

On 14 February 2000 I assumed duty as a United Nations Military Observer (UNMO) with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) for a 12 month deployment in the Middle East. I would like to share some of my experiences with members of the Corps and provide some insight into what is a perplexing situation. I will, however be providing no answers to the problems, as after spending 12 months living and working in the area and reading copious literature on the subject I now have more question than answers.

Set up in June 1948, UNTSO was the first peacekeeping operation established by the United Nations to assist the United Nations Mediator and the Truce Commission in supervising the observance of the truce in the country that was then known as Palestine. UNTSO military observers were sent to the Middle East to monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating and assist other UN peacekeeping operations in the region

Following the major Arab/Israeli conflicts of 1956, 1967 and 1973, the functions of the observers were amended in the light of changing circumstances, but they remained in the area, acting as go-betweens for the hostile parties and as the means by which isolated incidents could be contained and prevented from escalating into major conflicts.

 At present, UNTSO assists and cooperates with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights in the Israel-Syria sector, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the Israel-Lebanon sector. UNTSO is also present in the Egypt-Israel sector in the Sinai. UNTSO maintains offices in Beirut and Damascus. UNTSO's activities have been and still are spread over territory within five States, and therefore it has relations with five host countries -- Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syrian Arab Republic.

There are 151 military observers, supported by 106 international civilian personnel and 112 local civilian staff. The contributors of military personnel are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and United States.

Upon my arrival in the Mission Area I was posted to Observer Group – Lebanon (OGL) which operated in the "security zone" established by Israel when they withdrew the majority of their forces from Lebanon in the mid eighties after their initial invasion into the area in 1978. This "security zone" which occupied about the bottom 10% of the country was referred to by the UN as the ICA.

The ICA was basically an independent state controlled by, but separate from, Israel. The ICA and Israel were divided by a "technical fence" which ran the entire length of the "border". The northern boundary was harder to define but it was controlled by check points, observation and patrolling. UNIFIL played a major role in monitoring and to a lesser degree controlling the area immediately north of the zone. The Israelis established a militia force, consisting of Lebanese, known as the South Lebanon Army (SLA). The members of the SLA were referred to by most other Lebanese as Israeli collaborators and despised as traitors. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) also maintained many large fortress type positions in the most important tactical areas to exercise control over the area. They controlled nearly every aspect of daily life through military means. The advantage of this lack of government was that little or no form of tax was required to be paid and the ICA was probably the world’s biggest duty free shop.

Life in the ICA, however was far from ideal. There was constant air, artillery and rocket attacks as the IDF and SLA tried to exert authority over the region and counter a number of resistance groups, the most well known being Hizbollah. These resistance groups were referred to by the UN as the Armed Elements (AE).

During this time I witnessed a great deal of military action from the IDF’s tracked 155 mm medium artillery batteries, F16 fighter jets, Merkava tanks, Apache and Cobra attack helicopters. The SLA’s equipment was from another era and consisted mainly of dated armoured vehicles (T54/55), former Soviet block field arty pieces and mortars. The AEs used Katyusha rockets, anti armour missiles, arty and mortar fire to attack the IDF and SLA with differing degrees of success but by far their most effective weapon was the road side bomb (RSB). The typical RSB consisted of plastic explosives packed with shrapnel and hidden behind an elaborate fibre glass rock look alike material that was placed and camouflaged usually on a cutting at head height beside the road. These RSBs were quite powerful and usually was resulted in the death of the occupants of the vehicle they were used against. The traditional tactics of ambushes and surprise attacks were also used but were not common. Interspersed amongst all this action was numerous minefield, mostly unmarked, that dated back to pre WWII.

This situation changed on the 22 May 2000 when the IDF withdrew form the ICA. The speed of the withdrawal caught most by surprise, especially the SLA who were given only two hours notice to pack up and make their way to the border if they wanted a safe haven in Israel. Otherwise they would have to face the Lebanese authorities and an uncertain, if any, future. The withdrawal and subsequent celebrations were well covered by the international and local media and as a result I found myself somewhat of a media celebrity often giving interviews on camera. These interviews were conducted in English but when they were aired on local TV I would be dubbed over and, according to our Lebanese interpreter, there was a lot of detail lost, or added, in the translation.

The 3-4 day period of the withdrawal was extremely hectic and by far the most exciting time during my tour. The IDF did not want to leave any equipment or structures behind that may have been of advantage to the AEs so they demolished everything they could not take out with them. These explosions, generally in the early morning, rocked the foundations of buildings and gave the impression that there was a major conflict taking place. Once daylight dawned it quickly became evident that the IDF had gone. The SLA, who some were expecting to stay and fight, either fled to Israel or laid down their arms and surrendered.

The AE quickly followed up the withdrawal and collapse and within hours there were scenes of unbridled happiness in the villages all over the former ICA. Patrolling during this time was unbelievable. I will never forget being confronted on a civilian road by a Sherman tank chassis with a 160 mm mortar mounted being driven by a group of 12 year old boys who found it idling on the side of the road. Suffice to say that looting was prevalent during this period.

I also attended a number of large gatherings and parades where the locals were unable to contain their joy. The quite well armed militia groups had taken control and they liked to celebrate by firing their weapons in the air, usually emptying full magazines. And yes, the AK47 does make a very distinctive sound. It was extremely difficult not to get caught up in the emotion of these celebrations as these people’s country had been occupied for 22 years, however there were so many outstanding issues to be addressed with the main one being who was going to fill the power vacuum created by the IDF’s withdrawal.

Fortunately, the Israeli withdrawal had been followed by a relative period of peace in South Lebanon. Hizbollah in co-operation with other AEs took control and occupied positions in my area close to the Israeli border but displayed remarkable restraint. The Lebanese authorities, after being absent from the area for quite some time also returned and took over most functions of government including tax. ( I knew it was too good to last)

I never thought I'd be having coffee with Hizbollah "guerillas" during my career but occasionally we would stop at their position and they come out with the brew so we feel obliged to drink it. The coffee is thick, strong (it made me feel dizzy) and tastes worse than anything you could possibly find in a ration pack but the Arabs get quite offended if you turn them down so I drank it. I found the Hizbollah soldiers to be professional, courteous and extremely disciplined in a country where discipline usually takes a back seat to emotion.

The next challenge faced by the UN was to determine exactly were the border was between Israel and Lebanon. After a 22 year occupation of the area there had been some "creeping" north by the Israelis but also because of the lay of the land and tactical considerations, Israel had conceded small pieces of territory to the Lebanese. The UN is not able to delineate borders between countries. This can only be done through a bipartisan agreement and seeing that Lebanon do not recognise the existence of Israel the likelihood of this happening was nil. The UN sent in a team of cartographic experts from its HQ in New York to determine where the border should be and it was called "a line of withdrawal" because if the Israelis withdrew completely south of this line they would be considered to be no longer occupying any portion of Lebanon. The line was referred to as the Blue Line and became the focus of the UNMO’s attention as Israel and Lebanon, using the UN as intermediaries, argued over centimetres of land.

On 7 Oct 00, whilst patrolling the area in the morning I observed the 5 Hizbollah positions previously located close to the Blue Line for over 2 months had been withdrawn overnight. This aroused my suspicions and I notified my HQ thinking it was a significant occurrence. About midday we received a radio report that the IDF positions in the region (on the Israeli side of the Blue Line) were coming under sustained rocket, missile, arty and mortar attack. We quickly positioned ourselves in an temporary OP and for the next for hours watched as over 400 rounds fell on, or in close vicinity to these positions. Midway through the afternoon the rumour doing the rounds was there had been 3 IDF soldiers kidnapped by Hizbollah. This was confirmed shortly after by the IDF and 6 Apache attack helicopters flew by our OP en route to the kidnap location. The helicopters hovered and fired rockets for the next 2 hours but failed to cut off the vehicles used in the kidnapping. This incident shattered the fragile peace in South Lebanon and started the next chapter in the struggle over a small piece of land called the Sheba Farms. This area, known as the Sheba Farms, is quite interesting. It actually belongs to Syria (according to International Law), is claimed by the Lebanese (which Syria supports) and occupied by Israel. (Nothing in the Middle East is Easy!!). Anyway this areas was in my AO and was formerly a quiet area where nothing happened but quickly transformed into the new focus for the Lebanese (Hizbollah) Resistance.

The focus for the next four months until my return to Australia in Mar 01 was on the Sheba Farms area. Hizbollah continued to conduct resistance operations in the area and IDF continued to retaliate resulting in more death and destruction for the area. The solution to this problem probably lies in a comprehensive Middle East peace settlement which will require Israel to firstly deal with the Palestinian problems they are facing today.

I was invited to a Lebanese house for a meal. We were told to arrive at 4.00 pm but I wasn't sure whether it was for a late lunch or an early dinner, so feeling a bit hungry I had eaten a normal lunch around noon. When we arrived the table was laden with food. There was goat shish kebabs, chicken, lamb, salads of many varieties, beer, scotch (they were Muslims) and more. So me and my partner sit down with the men of the house and the women proceed to wait on us hand and foot (something I could grow accustomed to). So they dish up a huge plate full that even the biggest eater would struggle to get through. I finally finish everything on my plate (trying to be polite) and no sooner did I have another decent plate full despite my protests. I was feeling uncomfortable but put in the big ones and managed over half an hour of nibbling to get through it. Then again, despite my fervent protests, there was more on my plate. It was then I noticed that the other men at the table who appeared to be finished had all left food on their plate. My patrol partner who had been in Lebanon longer then me then tells me that when you clean your plate off, it is a signal that you want more and that if you're finished the right thing to do is to leave some food on your plate. Anyhow I rolled out of there at about 7.30 pm feeling like I was going to explode.

Another time I was invited to a Lebanese house to meet a Lebanese "resistance fighter" who had been held in an Israeli run prison (Khiam) for killing two IDF members. He had lost his leg during that time but he was a big (195 cm), strong and fiercely proud man. He was very interesting to talk to and despite his 14 years in prison hew had lost none of his character. Anyhow as we got up to leave he came towards us to shake hands and say goodbye. He then plants a kiss on each cheek. (not that there’s anything wrong with that) Apparently it is a sign of friendship and respect (I took quite a bit of convincing). But here’s what I find a little strange about the whole thing in Lebanon. When women greet each other they do not kiss. When men greet women they do not kiss but when men meet men they kiss each other - go figure that one out.

The role of the UNMO is to observe and report on any situation that may be of interest to the UN. This type of employment is similar to the way in which MP are employed without the having to worry about the "I did" bit. The general skills of a MP are ideally suited to UNMOs, as well as many other facets of peacekeeping operations. During my time I conducted investigations into bombings resulting in multiple deaths, kidnapping, disappearance of locals, gathering information regarding the local situation, not to mention numerous hours spent observing trying to detect differences in military positions and dispositions.

The experience of living and working in the Middle East and travelling throughout the region is difficult to sum up in a few pages but it leaves me sure of the following:

Australia is truly a lucky country and the best place to live on this planet!

Your miming skills become infinitely better when you visit a barber who does not speak English.

No matter how slowly you talk a non English speaker will not still not be able to understand you.

Using the constant bouts of "Yullah Yallah" (diarrhoea) as a weight control program is not effective.

There is no such thing as a bad beer – some just taste better than others.

I will leave you with a parable that probably best sums up the region.

Major Craig Kingston

OC 1 MP Coy