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LEBANON-Maritime Border Deal Faces Notable Obstacles

ISRAEL

Israeli PM Yair Lapid has released a statement confirming that a deal with Lebanon has been reached regarding the disputed maritime line between the two nations (see 0956BST energy bullet).

  • The deal would according to Middle East Monitor "...resolve a territorial dispute in the eastern tip of the Mediterranean sea in an area where Lebanon aims to explore for natural gas, and near waters where Israel has already found commercially viable quantities of hydrocarbons."
  • One potential obstacle is the upcoming Israeli legislative election taking place on 1 November. If the deal requires the approval of the Knesset, it will have to wait until after the election. In the event the opposition Likud-led coalition under former PM Benjamin Netanyahu comes to power, there is no guarantee the new gov't will approve the deal.
  • Moreover, the deal is in no way a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon. The two countries officially remain at war (as has been the case since Israel's creation in 1948), and the risk of rocket and drone attacks from Hezbollah into Israeli territory remains high.
Map of Disputed East Mediterranean Waters

Source: AFP, Lebanese Armed Forces

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