Tales from the crypt in south Lebanon

Land is the currency of contention between Arabs and Israelis. Whether it is Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, or the land of Palestine, the two sides have now tussled for land, sacred or economic, for over half a century.

On the border between Israel and Lebanon, with a panoramic view of the Israeli panhandle and Lebanon's rolling southern hill, lies such a site. The Muslims call the site "Sheikh Abbad" after the Sufi saint they believe is buried in a tomb located at the top of the hill.

According to tradition, he lived as a hermit in the area about 500 years ago and he had religious followers, makers of mattresses, who sold their goods near the Sea of Galilee. The Israelis, on the other hand, believe Rabbi Ashi, a Jewish sage, is interred on the same spot.

After Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, the UN was left with the dubious responsibility of verifying Israel's departure by drawing a line of withdrawal between Lebanon and Israel.

The UN cartographers used sophisticated GPS systems to mirror the armistice line that existed between British Mandate Palestine and French Mandate Lebanon in the early 20th century.

This "Blue Line" that the UN drew between Israel and Lebanon was accurate within metres… and happened to pass right through the small tomb (1 x 2 metres) on Sheikh Abbad Hill. This effectively left the tomb one-half in Lebanon, one-half in Israel.

After the withdrawal, Hezbollah sent busloads of its followers to the Leban-ese side of the tomb to visit the site of the Sufi saint, but also to harass the Israeli soldiers on the other side of the tomb. Young Lebanese who detest the Israelis would come and spit and throw rocks at them.

Matters got bad enough that the Israelis finally put up a fence over and around the tomb, physically cutting it in half. Israel had also put up a plaque in Hebrew to commemorate the presence of Rabbi Ashi, but this was also cut in half by the Blue Line and the new fence.

The tomb site is quiet now. The Shiite visitors still come.

No one knows who, if anyone, lies in the tomb. It's an old legend. As one clever diplomat said, "Knowing the Middle East, it's probably a Christian monk in there…"

The writer is a former UN and Canadian diplomat, a commentator on Middle East and international affairs.