Finger of the Galilee

The Finger of the Galilee ( _he. אצבע הגליל, "Etzba HaGalil") is a panhandle along the Hula Valley in northern Israel. It contains the towns Metula and Kiryat Shmona and the rivers of Dan and Banias. Due to the conflict in 1920 between Syrian raiding parties and Jewish settlers, the Sykes-Picot Treaty was amended and the area containing the existing Jewish settlements was transferred from the French Mandate of Lebanon to the British Mandate of Palestine.

For Israelis, these events provided models for Jewish settlers through the symbols of the Battle of Tel Hai and of the courage of the handicapped Joseph Trumpeldor, symbols that continue to evoke strong feelings even today.

For the Lebanese, and most recently, Hizbullah, the cession of territory by an imperialist power was illegitimate as the residents of the conquered territory were not consulted. This parallels the cession of the Province of Alexandretta also known as Hatay Province by the French Mandate of Syria to Turkey prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. This territory, together with several other more minor territorial claims, continues to offer a casus belli for militant groups based in Lebanon, although the Lebanese government has not officially claimed the territory.