Israel and Lebanon sign agreement for the delimitation of their maritime border

Israel Y Lebanontwo neighboring countries officially at war, signed an agreement on Thursday for the delimitation of their maritime border after months of negotiations under the aegis of the United States.

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Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the deal was a de facto “recognition” of the Israel by Lebanon, but Lebanese President Michel Aoun, an ally of pro-Iranian Hezbollah, replied that it had no “political dimension”.

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, welcomed the signing of this “historic” agreement on Thursday.

The Israeli prime minister and the Lebanese president signed the agreement on Thursday, each on his side, before an exchange of letters that will mark its formal conclusion.

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“This is a political achievement, it is not every day that an enemy State recognizes the State of Israel in a written agreement and this, in front of the entire international communityLapid said.

In a tweet, President Aoun responded that it was a purely “technical” agreement, without any “political dimension” or “consequences that contradict Lebanon’s foreign policy.”

Lebanon does not want his delegation to have any official contact with that of Israelfor which he demanded that the ceremony take place in two separate rooms.

The media do not have access to the place, around which the peacekeepers and the Lebanese army are deployed.

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For Lebanon, mired in a deep economic crisis, this agreement comes a few days before the end of President Aoun’s mandate, without a successor having been found.

It also occurs shortly before the legislative elections on November 1 in Israelfor which Lapid is campaigning.

“Exchange of cards”

“The maritime boundary agreement will take the form of two exchanges of letters, one between Lebanon and the United States and one between Israel and the United States”, declared the spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric.

The deal, which will allow the two countries to exploit gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean, was reached after years of US mediation.

According to the Israeli authorities, this gas will not only reduce the country’s energy costs, but will boost exports to Europe, which is seeking to diversify its supplies due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The agreement provides for leaving the Karish deposit under Israeli control and granting Lebanon the Qana gas field, further to the northeast.

However, a part of this deposit will exceed the border line between the two countries, with which Israel It would take part of the profits from the exploitation, according to the text.

Amos Hochstein told reporters that the deal “creates hope and economic opportunity” and “stability” for both sides.

Without waiting for the signature, the energy group Energean started up the production of natural gas in the Karish field on Wednesday, after receiving the green light from the Israeli government.

Lebanon, for its part, asked TotalEnergies to quickly start exploration work at the Qana field.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.