Israel Lebanon To Enter Into Mutually Benefitting Maritime Deal Soon
-
Alaina
- . October 11, 2022
- . Update: November 11, 2022 12:43 am
While Turkey has been fuming and shown its displeasure over a maritime deal, Israel and Lebanon are happy with their historical deal on maritime energy sharing.
Details have not been shared explicitly but both countries are happy about the deal. For Israel, it is being termed as a ‘historic deal’ with Lebanon. The final agreement is still to be drawn out, but Israeli PM Yair Lapid has said that the deal will strengthen ‘Israel’s security, inject billions into Israel’s economy and ensure the stability of our northern border,” after his Cabinet came under fire from hardliners for making concessions.
Despite the criticism to the deal coming from other quarters, Lebanon has confirmed as per lead negotiator Elias Bou Saab that the country has “obtained its full rights, and all of its remarks have been taken into account.”
Although limited in scope, an agreement would ease security and economic concerns in both countries, whose shared history is rife with conflict.
Read | Is Israel Going To Benefit From Netanyahu’s Comeback?
Israel last week rejected last-minute amendments to the deal by Lebanon that briefly appeared to jeopardise long-standing efforts to reach the agreement.
Officials from both countries were in close contact via the US mediator over the past few days in an effort to resolve outstanding differences.
Mr. Aoun said that a deal would not signify a “partnership” with Israel, a country Lebanon does not recognise and is technically in a state of war with.
The danger from an attack by Hezbollah remains though. The deal would resolve a territorial dispute in the eastern tip of the Mediterranean in an area where Lebanon aims to explore for natural gas, and near the offshore Karish gasfield, where Israel has already found commercially viable quantities of hydrocarbons.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group and political party that holds significant influence in Lebanon, has threatened to attack Karish if production begins there before a deal is reached.
