With the help of the United States and France, the two countries have agreed on a delimitation of their respective control areas in water-rich water from the eastern Mediterranean.
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Israel and Lebanon ended up concluding a project of capital agreement, aimed at delimiting their respective control areas in water -rich water from the eastern Mediterranean. This text, developed with the help of an American mediator, Amos Hochstein, for two countries that remain in a state of war, was welcomed with optimism, Tuesday, October 11. The Israeli Prime Minister, Yaïr Lapid, praised a “historic agreement, which will strengthen the security of Israel, inject billions into the economy, and ensure the stability of our northern border”. More measured, the Lebanese president, Michel Aoun, praised a text which “meets the requirements of Lebanon and preserves its right to its natural wealth”, saying that the agreement would be “announced as soon as possible”.
In the words of the agreement, Karish’s offshore deposit fully drops to Israel while the reserves of Cana, located further northeast, essentially return to Lebanon. Although limited to the sea layout, this text would be the beginning of a turning point in relations between the two countries. “This is the first time that we have signed an agreement on a border that has had economic benefits for the two countries, and brings both security and economic stability, comments Elias Bou Saab, the vice-president of the Parliament and the main negotiator Lebanese. As soon as it is acted, we will have a much more pacified border. It could be a “game to change” for the region and for the future delimitation of the land border “, which is always the subject of a litigation.
After more than a decade of unsuccessful negotiations, enamelled with tensions, common interests prevailed. Faced with the war in Ukraine, the price of gas explodes and Europe is looking for new supplies. For the government of Mr. Lapid, Israel has a security interest in Lebanon, bankrupt, ultimately benefits from this income, and depend less on its imports of Iranian oil. He also wishes to immediately exploit his own resources. The operator of the Karish site, located in the area that would return to Israel, said that it could launch the operation in the coming weeks.
“Historical advance”
Political considerations are also at the heart of the calculations on both sides of the border. Mr. Lapid is a Prime Minister for transition, in power since the summer. With this agreement, it argues a very real success, three weeks from the Israeli legislative elections, scheduled for 1 er November. His predecessor, Benyamin Netanyahu, already accuses him of being guilty of “a historic capitulation” in the face of the pressure of Hezbollah. He believes that the Lebanese Shiite movement would be encouraged, in the future, to be more aggressive on other fronts and suggests that he will bury the agreement, if he returns to power in November.
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