Israel, Lebanon Officially Approves US-Brokered Maritime Agreement: Here's What's In It

For the first time, Israel and Lebanon have approved a US-brokered deal to draw down their maritime border, opening the door for offshore oil exploration.

On Thursday morning, President Michel Aoun of Lebanon signed a letter in the presidential palace that would later be sent to US representatives at Naqoura, Lebanon's southernmost border crossing, Al Jazeera reported.

Deal Opens Exploration of The Oil-Rich Region

Leading Lebanese negotiator Elias Bou Saab hailed the historical agreement as the start of a "new era" since it puts an end to a decades-long maritime border conflict in the gas-rich Mediterranean Sea.

On Thursday, the Israeli government formally accepted the agreement, according to a statement released by the office of Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Lapid described the accord as a "political achievement" for Tel Aviv since it is a rare occurrence that a rival state recognizes Israel in the presence of the global community, according to Reuters.

Amos Hochstein, the US envoy for energy issues, has been the mediator of these indirect talks for the past few months, and US President Joe Biden has expressed his satisfaction with the resulting accord. President Joe Biden said in a statement that the agreement will bring stability and prosperity to the area and that it was "one step closer" to achieving a more "integrated" Middle East.

Since Israel's establishment in 1948, there have been no diplomatic ties between the two nations. Without mutual recognition, Israel and Lebanon have achieved a maritime demarcation agreement. Lebanon has rules that forbid its citizens from having any interaction with Israeli officials because the country does not acknowledge Israel's right to exist and is still technically at war with its neighbor.

Towards the end of last year, lower-level delegations from both countries traveled to the United Nations peacekeeping base in Naqoura, which is located along the countries' undefined land border. For years, Israel and Lebanon disputed the ocean between them. The Qanaa potential and the Karish oil field are both within range of the territory in question.

As part of the agreement, Israel will receive 17% of the income from oil and gas extracted from the Karish field, while Lebanon will gain access to the Qanaa possibility. On October 11th, both countries claimed that they had reached an agreement on how to define their borders, and on October 17th, British energy firm Energean said it had begun harvesting gas from the Karish field.

Lebannon: Deal Does Not Imply End of Conflict with Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid celebrated the arrangement as a triumph for Israel after it was approved by the Israeli Cabinet at a special session earlier on Thursday.

Pres. Aoun made a cautious statement on Twitter ahead of the signing ceremony, rejecting the notion that the agreement was tantamount to the acknowledgment of Israel's existence, as per CNN.

The Lebanese leader posted on Twitter: "Completion of the southern maritime border delineation file is a technical process without political dimensions and does not have contradictory effects on Lebanon's foreign policy in relation to other countries." This summer, tensions rose over the contested region after an Energean vessel arrived in the Karish field to develop the gas production, even though the rig was located south of any claimed Lebanese boundaries.

In July, Hezbollah, the powerful Shia Lebanese militia supported by Iran, flew drones towards the rig in in Israel, threatening to strike the rig if it began pumping gas before a deal was reached.

However, the global need for natural gas after Russia's invasion of Ukraine drove Israel and Lebanon to pursue the deal, as it has the potential of assuring peace on Israel's northern border, forthcoming elections in Israel, and the need for revenue in economically ravaged Lebanon.

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United States, Lebanon, Israel, Energy, Business, Peace, Middle East