“Lebanon is on the brink of a national, historical and strategic victory with the achievement of all Lebanese demands in the exclusive economic zone,” according to the words of Hezbollah Central Council member Sheikh Nabil Qawak yesterday, which are an open expression of support by the Shiite organization for the maritime border agreement agreed between Israel and Lebanon.
The American mediator announced: the signing ceremony for the maritime border agreement will be held on Thursday
Israel and Lebanon approved the maritime border agreement; Lapid: “historic achievement”
Sheikh Kawak added that “the negotiations did not release even one meter of our rights in the sea for 11 years, but after the drones of the resistance (referring to the Hezbollah drones that were launched in July at the Shark rig and intercepted by the IDF) the equation changed – And Lebanon achieved all its demands. This is the achievement of the integration between the resistance and the united Lebanese national position. There are those in Lebanon who deny this achievement because they are upset about it.”
In Israel, the process of approving the agreement is expected to end this coming Thursday, when the Prime Minister will hold a special cabinet meeting in the morning in his office in Jerusalem for the final approval of the agreement, after in a meeting it held about a week and a half ago, the government approved not to vote on the agreement in the Knesset, but only to submit it for consideration by the members of the Knesset. The discount obligation expires on Wednesday at midnight. It was also agreed that after the signing between the parties, the Americans would deposit the agreement in the UN and it would enter into force.
The Lebanese “Al-Akhbar” newspaper reported on Saturday that the signing of the maritime border agreement between Israel and Lebanon is expected to take place this week. In Beirut, they await the arrival of the American mediator Amos Hochstein on Tuesday or Wednesday, when the general assumption is that the exact date for the signing will be next Wednesday or Thursday. According to the report, the signing ceremony will take place in the Lebanese town of Nakoura on the border with Israel.
After 74 years: Israel and Lebanon will have a recognized international maritime border
In the bottom line, the agreement between Israel and Lebanon will finally allow, 74 years after the establishment of the state, the definition of the maritime border between the two countries and its recognition, with the approval and mediation of the USA and France.
The agreement itself includes four sections dealing with the definition of borders, the development of the Sidon/Kana gas reservoir that crosses the maritime border between the two countries, the development of additional reservoirs if they are discovered and the resolution of difficulties that will arise later. The five kilometers closest to the coast will be according to the line of buoys unilaterally defined by Israel after the withdrawal from Lebanon. The rest of the maritime border will be according to the Lebanese demand. In addition to defining the border line, the agreement states that the countries will recognize the new border established as their permanent border and that the solution proposed in the agreement will be the permanent solution to the maritime dispute between them.
The agreement further states that after signing it, the development of the Sidon/Kana reservoir, located in the maritime territory of the two countries, will begin immediately. The development will be done by a company (or a collaboration between several international companies) that holds the Lebanese concession to develop the reservoir. The same company will negotiate with Israel for its share in the reservoir, when according to the agreement – Lebanon is prevented from interfering in the negotiations of the company developing the reservoir with Israel (and vice versa). The development will be done on the Lebanese side of the border. If the company is forced to cross the border to develop the reservoir, this will be done in advance with Israel.