Lebanon to send feedback on US maritime border offer with Israel

Beirut – Lebanon said Monday it will send initial “remarks” to Washington’s proposal to resolve a maritime border dispute with Israel over gas-rich waters, a country it is still technically at war with.

The draft agreement floated by US envoy Amos Hochstein aims to settle competing claims over offshore gas fields and was delivered to Lebanese and Israeli officials at the weekend.

Washington’s offer has not been made public, but it has raised hopes that a deal could be reached after years of negotiations.

Beirut will send its notes to the US offer by “Tuesday at the latest,” and hopes to receive a response “before the end of the week,” deputy speaker Elias Bou Saab told reporters.

“We are not giving an official response but delivering an answer to the proposal with … remarks that we have,” he added.

Bou Saab, tasked by President Michel Aoun to oversee US-mediated negotiations, did not elaborate on Lebanon’s feedback but said they included “legal and logical” notes.

He spoke after a high-level meeting with Aoun, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri on Monday to discuss US envoy Amos Hochstein’s offer.

The session was preceded by a technical meeting to discuss the proposal. 

“Things are on the right track,” Mikati said after both sessions, explaining that the foundations of the current proposal are sound. 

– ‘Important step’ –

An agreement would mark a crucial step for Lebanon as it grapples with its worst-ever economic crisis.

Lebanon and Israel are officially at war and their land border is patrolled by the United Nations.

They reopened negotiations on their maritime border in 2020, but the process was stalled by Lebanon’s demand that the map used by the UN in the talks be modified.

The negotiations resumed in early June after Israel moved a production vessel near the Karish offshore field.

The most recent proposal by Washington was welcomed by both Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which considers Israel its arch-enemy.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who had repeatedly threatened Israel with attacks if it proceeds with extraction in disputed areas before a deal is reached, welcomed Saturday’s developments as “a very important step”.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid also welcomed the agreement, which he said grants Israel full claim over the disputed Karish field as well as profits from the nearby “Sidon reservoir”, known as the Qana field, which will fall to Lebanon. 

Lapid on Monday said on Twitter that “Israel gets 100 percent of its security needs, 100 percent of Karish and even some of the profits from the Lebanese reservoir.”

But Aoun on Monday said “there will be no partnership with the Israel.”