(31 May 2000) Hebrew/Nat

The fate of the village of Ghajar hangs in the balance after Israel withdrew from Lebanon last week.

Israel had taken Ghajar when it invaded Syria in 1967, but when it withdrew the village found itself in no man's land.

Residents in Ghajar then invited the Israelis back after they found themselves cut off from all sides.

Now the villagers don't know what country they are living in: they might be turned over to Lebanon, or they might be split between Lebanon and Syria.

Split loyalties are nothing new in Ghajar.

This village of 1,800 people may be cut in two by the United Nations after Israel withdrew from south Lebanon last week.

The present border is along a deep valley below the main street, which encircles the
outer perimeter of the village which puts the village outside Lebanon.

The people of Ghajar - Alawite Muslims like Syria's President Hafez Assad - say Ghajar was always a part of Syria, but some are also happy to call themselves Israeli citizens.

This has come about because of Israel's pledge to withdraw behind the Israeli Lebanese border that existed in 1923.

Israel says Ghajar belongs to Syria, and plans to keep it at least until an Israel-Syria peace treaty is negotiated.

Israel is determined to follow the old, sometimes forgotten border markings, blowing up their own military outposts that jutted a few metres across the border.

Life with Israel has been good to the people here.

Unlike many dusty, poor backwater Arab villages in Israel, Ghajar is a neat, clean, modern place.

Its impressive houses and smoothly paved streets, with a green, manicured soccer field that would do a team in Tel Aviv proud.

But the one place they're not is in Israel - it's either Lebanon or Syria.

Most of the villagers are positive they belong to Syria.

SOUNDBITE: (Hebrew)
"Syria regards us as Syrian citizens. I have documents and maps from 1942. There's also a Turkish (Ottoman) land deed from 1893 when we belonged to the Qunetitra region (in Syria) and I don't understand how they are going to divide the village into two separate
parts."
SUPER CAPTION: Adel Shamali, Resident of Ghajar Village

With Israeli soldiers an on off presence over the years some villagers have taken jobs in Israel and taken on much of Israel's culture.

Others who have stayed behind are adamant that the village must not be split.

SOUNDBITE: (Hebrew)
"I'm going to stay in my home, we're staying in the village and we'll all we can to prevent the division of the village. The village is all one unit. There are a lot of families. There may come about a situation in which I will live in one village and my sister live in another or I will live in one country and my sister live in another - it's not possible. I hope we will all stay in one village together and I hope eventually a peace agreement with Syria will happen and we'll return to live with our family all together."
SUPER CAPTION: Adel Shamali, Resident of Ghajar Village

An Israeli Cabinet Minister who met villagers this week told them their Israeli citizenship would make no difference to their fate, including whether Ghajar will be cut in half.

Instead Israel says it depend on the exact border line from 1923.

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