Lebanon and Israel reach historic deal to end maritime border dispute

Middle East, News October 12, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Lebanon and Israel reached a deal that would put an end to their ‘historic’ dispute regarding the maritime borders in the Mediterranean Sea. The breakthrough deal was mediated by the U.S. and drafted on October 11, 2022.

If the deal is finalized, the rival neighbors would be able to resolve their territorial disputes at the eastern tip of the Mediterranean Sea. The two countries have a dispute over a triangular area of 860 square kilometers, where Lebanon is exploring natural gas reserves. Israel claims to have found a viable commercial quantity of hydrocarbon in the same area. The details of the agreement are yet to be released.

Lebanon’s Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab and Israeli National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata were leading their respective delegations for negotiations and drafted a final version of the agreement. The signing date for the agreement has not been decided yet.

After submitting the final draft of an agreement to the Lebanese president, Bou Saab said that “Lebanon has obtained its full rights, and all of its remarks have been taken into account.”

Israeli National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata also released a statement after finalizing the deal where he said that “all our demands were met, the changes that we asked for were corrected. We protected Israel’s security interests and are on our way to a historic agreement.”

Lebanese President Michel Aoun described the terms of the agreement as “satisfactory”, while Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid said it would strengthen its security and inject billions into the regional economy.

^{In this photo released by the Lebanese government, Lebanese President Michel Aoun, left, receives the final draft of the maritime border agreement between Lebanon and Israel from Lebanese deputy prime minister Elias Bou Saab in Beirut, on October 11, 2022. (Image Credit: Lebanese government/AP)}

According to the deal, the Karish gas field in the west of the Israeli city of Haifa would fall under Israeli control, along with a small part of the Qana gas field. The rest of Qana would be under Lebanon’s control and it would pay royalties to Israel for any gas extracted from the Israeli side.

Officials from both sides had been in close contact for several days as they were being mediated by a U.S.-based businessman and lobbyist Amos Hochstein. According to the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated the Israeli and Lebanese leaders on moving forward with the deal to establish a permanent maritime boundary.

Biden said, “The agreement will provide for the development of energy fields for the benefit of both countries, setting the stage for a more stable and prosperous region, and harnessing vital new energy resources for the world.” He further added that “It is now critical that all parties uphold their commitments and work towards implementation.”

According to Will Todman, a Middle East analyst at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, “The negotiations that were carried out through U.S. mediation did not include discussions with Hezbollah.”

Todman told VOA that “This is with the sovereign leadership of Lebanon. We held meetings with the president, the prime minister, and the speaker, and I have every assurance that the government of Lebanon intends to keep its end of this agreement, as I have on the Israeli side.” He added that “The Lebanese government would not have agreed to this deal without Hezbollah’s go-ahead.”

Both sides are now analyzing the final draft of the agreement before they agree to formally sign it. The Israeli Prime Minister will convene a security cabinet meeting where the agreement is put before the government for approval. It will then be presented to parliament for final approval before it is signed. Israel plans to increase the gas production from the Karish gas field and export it to Europe amid the ongoing gas energy crisis.