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| Dichter: recommend to the cabinet Photo: Gil Yohanan
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| | | |  | IDF outpost in Ghajar: point of vulnerability Photo: Hanan Greenberg
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Ghajar: Drugs for terror and intelligence
Internal Security Minister Dichter arrives in half Israeli-half Lebanese village, hears security briefing about dangers posed by village's location
Sharon Roffe-Ofir
Under heavy security and a shroud of secrecy, Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter visited the northern village of Ghajar on Tuesday and received a security briefing on the current security situation in the village, which has been split between Israel and Lebanon for the past six years.
Minister Dichter arrived at the village with senior officers from the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Israeli police to tour the area and hear a briefing regarding the situation in the village dealing both with security matters and issues regarding narcotics trafficking taking place in the vplace.
"While we are sitting here, dozens of kilos of drugs are making their way into Israel through the village. Even today the Hizbullah is controlling the fence and everything goes through it," an officer said in the briefing. "This is an equation of drugs for terrorism and intelligence," said another officer on the scene.
Since the IDF's withdrawal from Lebanon, the village of Ghajar has been a major point of contention for the IDF and police since half of the village is in Israeli territory and half in Lebanese territory. So far, Israel has not decided on the fate of the village, which has turned out to be a point of vulnerability in the northern border. Since the war, the village has been closed off, with only residents and military personnel being allowed to enter.
Due to the lack of any concrete plans or actions regarding the village, Hizbullah has turned Ghajar into fertile ground for gathering intelligence from local residents in return for drugs. In addition, Hizbullah has used the village as a target for attacks, including an attempt to kidnap IDF soldiers earlier this year.
Minister Dichter, who was himself director of the Shin Bet, is well versed in the problems posed by the village. Since the end of the war, Dichter has been planning to visit the village and construct an operative plan to solve the problems. At the end of the tour, Dichter said he was satisfied with the information he received and is planning to present his findings to the cabinet in the coming days.
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