Jerusalem/Beirut/Washington: Following years of mediation by the United States, the Governments of Israel and Lebanon today announced a consensus on a historic agreement to establish a permanent maritime boundary between the two countries.
The breakthrough promises to usher in a new era of prosperity and stability in the Middle East and will provide vital energy to the people of the region and to the world. The 860-square-kilometre area of the Mediterranean is rich in oil and gas.
Now following the deal, Lebanon would be able to begin gas exploration in the Qanaa gas field under a consortium led by the French energy company, Total. Lebanon would pay royalties to Israel should gas be found in Qanaa since the gas field crosses over into Israeli waters.
This had been a long-running dispute of multiple decades and negotiations that started mediation on this issue started over 10 years ago with no conclusion and, in 2020, took a turn where both parties essentially stopped negotiating. The new phase of negotiations started in late 2021. The breakthrough happened over the last few weeks. And over a very intensive last several days and very long nights, the governments of Israel and Lebanon agreed — individually and separately agreed with the United States — to end this dispute.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the historic agreement to settle the maritime boundary dispute between Israel and Lebanon was an “unprecedented deal” which will “strengthen Israel’s security, bolster our economy and deliver cleaner, more affordable energy to countries around the world”.
Lapid spoke with US President Joe Biden who congratulated him on the agreement with Lebanon on a maritime boundary. Biden thanked the entire Israeli team that took part in the talks and expressed his appreciation for their trust and confidence. Lapid said the agreement will ensure Israel’s security on its northern border and strengthen the Israeli and Lebanese economies.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun reportedly said that the completion of the agreement to demarcate the southern maritime borders will be followed by the start of returning the displaced Syrians to their country in batches starting next week.
Earlier, Biden told Aoun his hope that today’s announcement will mark a new chapter for the Lebanese people. He noted the United States remains ready to facilitate the resolution of issues that may arise under the agreement if called upon by the parties. President Biden also reaffirmed his hope that presidential elections happen on time in a manner consistent with the Lebanese constitution.
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States said that beyond delivering tremendous benefits to the Lebanese and Israeli people, today’s announcement demonstrated the power of regional cooperation to meet shared challenges in the Middle East and beyond. “It also underscores the transformative power of American diplomacy,” he said.
Blinken stated this agreement protects the economic and security interests of Israel and Lebanon and marks a new chapter for the people in the region.
“I thank the leaders of Israel and Lebanon for their willingness to negotiate in the best interests of their people, and I thank Special Presidential Coordinator Amos Hochstein and his team for their tireless diplomatic work in bringing the parties together to accomplish this deal. It is now critical that all parties rapidly finalize the agreement and uphold their commitments to work toward implementation to the benefit of the region and world,” he stated.
– global bihari buraeu
