Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Deal Being Signed; Risk From Election

A deal establishing delineated maritime borders between Israel and Lebanon is being signed today in an agreement that could allow both countries to develop significant hydrocarbon fields in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

• Lebanese President Michel Aoun has signed the agreement while Israeli PM Yair Lapid will sign the deal later today. Both nations' foreign ministers will also sign a copy of the agreement at the UN regional HQ.
• US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein has said that he hopes the deal can be an 'economic turning point for Lebanon'. He warned that 'if one side violates the deal, both sides lose'.
• One major potential obstacle to the smooth implementation of the deal is the upcoming Israeli general election on 1 November. Opposition Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu has been lukewarm on the agreement, but has so far not gone so far as to say he would repeal it.
• Speaking to I24 News on 26 Oct he stated that 'I'll find a way [...] to take care of Israel's interests'. This could indicate that if he returns to power, Netanyahu would look to keep the deal in place. However, given the far-right parties that his gov't would rely on for support they could seek to force Netanyahu to abandon the deal with Lebanon, with which Israel is still technically at war.