Israel and Lebanon: Maritime border treaty signed

Israel and Lebanon have signed a treaty on their maritime border in the Mediterranean Sea. The agreement was mediated by the United States. The document regulates the distribution of natural gas deposits.

After decades of dispute, Israel and Lebanon have signed an agreement on a shared maritime border in the Mediterranean. Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid signed the agreement in Jerusalem, and Lebanese head of state Michael Aoun in the presidential palace near Beirut, both sides announced separately.

The documents were then handed over to US mediator Amos Hochstein at a United Nations base in Nakura in southern Lebanon.

Israel speaks of recognition – Lebanon denies

The Israeli government had previously approved the agreement. Lapid stated, “It’s not every day that a hostile country recognizes the State of Israel in a written agreement before the international community.” Officially, the two neighbors are at war.

However, Aoun stressed that the agreement “does not have any political dimensions or implications that conflict with Lebanon’s foreign policy”.

The agreement ends a long dispute over an area of ​​sea off the coast, which had intensified again after the discovery of large quantities of natural gas. US President Joe Biden hailed the signing as “historic”. The agreement secures the interests of both countries and creates the conditions for a more stable and prosperous region.

Development of offshore gas field Kana

The agreement is intended to enable the economically ailing Lebanon to develop the offshore gas field Kana. It is still unclear how much gas can actually be extracted there. The area around the Karish gas platform, northeast of the Israeli port city of Haifa, remains within Israeli sovereign territory. The country started gas production there yesterday.

Karisch was a major bone of contention in the negotiations. The government in Beirut reportedly claimed part of the gas field. The influential Hezbollah militia had threatened attacks if Israel started producing gas there.

The gas from Israel could also help ease Europe’s energy crisis. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has increasingly been looking for other gas suppliers.