Ministers on Wednesday approved the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the northern half of Ghajar, a divided town that straddles the Lebanese border.

Despite efforts by the United Nations to secure Lebanese cooperation, the unilateral pullout will take place without any coordination with Lebanon, still technically at war with Israel.

In Wednesday’s vote, the security cabinet ordered the foreign ministry to coordinate a withdrawal date with UNIFIL, the United Nations force deployed across southern Lebanon, within 30 days.

After a date is agreed, the cabinet will vote again to give final approval for the redeployment of Israeli troops.

According to a plan proposed by UNIFIL’s commander, General Alberto Asarta Cuevas, the Israel Defense Forces will withdraw completely from the northern, Lebanese half of the town to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, passed following Israel’s month-long invasion of Lebanon in 2006.

Under the scheme, neither Israel nor Lebanon will control security in northern Ghajar, with UNIFIL working to control access to the town from the Lebanese side.

Efforts to implement other aspects of Resolution 1701, which called for the disarming of Hezbollah militants and the prevention of arms smuggling to Lebanon from Syria, have achieved only mixed results.