Given the developments in Syria and the Middle East, it is interesting that Russia might soon participate in the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights and that Israel is considering Russia’s participation.
It is true that the issue has a purely technical, security and military dimension. But that does not preclude the fact that the issue also has a political dimension.
From an operational perspective, UNDOF — which has been in the region since the 1974 Israel-Syria disengagement agreement — has been having problems performing its mission since the outbreak of the Syrian events. When the Syrian war started in 2011, UNDOF had 2,164 personnel from six countries: Japan, the Philippines, Austria, India, Croatia and Cambodia. A year and a half ago, Cambodia was the first to withdraw from the force. It was followed by Japan and then Croatia, which was accused of transferring Western weapons to the Syrian opposition in March 2012. Then the 380-member Austrian contingent decided to withdraw. UNDOF now has 1,047 personnel, including 76 truce monitors. Only 20 civilians are within the UNDOF zone.
Before the Syrian events, UNDOF was being assisted by about 100 Syrian civilians — all of whom have been unable to go to work for months — and was performing its duties normally as the movement of its personnel between Damascus and UNDOF’s area of operations was safe.
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