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For the first time, a Swiss takes command of a UN peace operation. Patrick Gauchat heads Untso, the UN organization that monitors the ceasefire in the Middle East.
The Untso is the oldest peace operation of the UN, it was launched in 1948 by the UN Security Council. Because of the war in Syria, the tensions in Lebanon and the conflict between Israel and Palestine, it has become more important again, but also more delicate. Until November, Patrick Gauchat was in the demilitarized zone on the border between South and North Korea.
There he headed the Swiss mission of the neutral monitoring commission between the two countries. Shortly before Christmas he was the first Swiss to take command of the UN peace mission Untso, with headquarters in Jerusalem and branches in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Israel.
50 deaths since it was founded
He is the boss of a good 300 people. Half of them are military observers from more than a dozen countries, including Swiss. After his arrival, he says, he was impressed by the professionalism of his subordinates. And also from their adaptability; that is crucial.
Because the Untso has to constantly reposition itself in an extremely restless region like the Middle East, move people, take on new tasks, organize itself differently, says Gauchat.
Since the Untso has existed, it has suffered 50 deaths in its own ranks. There were quieter phases, but in recent years it has become more dangerous again in some operating zones. For example on the Golan: The UN blue helmet troop Undof is monitoring the ceasefire between Syria and Israel and is supported by the Untso with military observers.
No more rest on the Golan
For decades, Undof was considered the “Club Méditerannée” among peace operations. But now the Syrian civil war spills over to the Golan from time to time. The quiet there is over, which is why additional safety precautions are also required at the Untso. Gauchat believes that the UN should not be allowed to withdraw its people when things get dangerous.
During the Six Day War of 1967, Israel occupied the Golan Heights – a hilly, sparsely populated area – from Syria. In 1973 Egypt and Syria attacked Israel. Israel struck back and expanded its territory on the Golan in the Yom Kippur War. The annexations and colonization by Israel were not recognized by most states and condemned by the UN. Syria still claims the area completely.
The two neighbors never officially made peace. However, a ceasefire agreement and a narrow buffer zone have existed since 1974. Both have been monitored by the UN since then – on the one hand by the unarmed military observers of the Untso (United Nations Truce Supervision Organization), on the other hand by the armed peacekeeping forces of the Undof (UN Disengagement Observer Force).
The UN presence shows the affected population that the international community cares about them. And it ensures a neutral assessment of the situation, so it is often the only impartial source of information. Gauchat is convinced that his Swiss nationality was not a disadvantage for his appointment.
On the contrary. Switzerland has no colonial past. She maintains good contacts with all parties in the Middle East and no one subordinates her to pursuing national self-interests.
No political solution in sight
So now Gauchat is in Jerusalem, where the Untso has been active for more than seven decades. Actually, UN peace missions shouldn’t last forever, but only until diplomacy has negotiated a peace. There are such positive examples, such as the blue helmet operation that ended on the Elfenbei coast in 2017.
Many others, on the other hand, take much longer. The Monusco in Congo-Kinshasa has existed for two decades, the Unficyp in Cyprus since 1967 and the Untso, the oldest, since 1948. According to Gauchat, a political solution is simply not in sight for the operations in the Middle East. The UN must therefore remain present. If only to prevent further escalation.
Even if the missions fail to achieve their real goal, namely to create the framework conditions for a peace agreement, they still enable buffer zones, build bridges between enemies and prevent conflicts from getting completely out of hand.