BICOM

Israel and Lebanon are locked in a dispute over the precise location of their maritime border, as both countries assert their claim over potentially vast natural gas fields below the Mediterranean Sea. Last August, Lebanon submitted to the UN its version of the maritime border. In November it submitted its version of its western border with Cyprus. This Sunday, at the weekly cabinet meeting, the Israeli government ratified its nautical border with Cyprus, demarcating the northern maritime border of Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the line agreed by the cabinet mapped out ‘the area in which the state enjoys exclusive economic rights, including the right to exploit the sea’s natural resources’. He added, ‘the outline submitted by Lebanon to the UN is significantly further south than the line that Israel is proposing.’

The Hezbollah-dominated government in Lebanon swiftly rejected the proposed borders, and claimed that Israel is impinging on Lebanese waters. The dispute is sharpened by the recent discovery of very large reserves of natural gas in the area in question. Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau accused the government of Lebanon of being ‘petty’ and suggested that Beirut hold direct ‘clarifications and negotiations’ with Israel to resolve any disputes. Lebanon rejects any direct diplomatic contacts with Israel. Lebanese Energy Minister, Gebran Bassil said an Israeli refusal to accept Lebanon’s maritime border would ‘constitute a new aggression against Lebanon’, and that Lebanon ‘should respond in kind’.

Israel and Lebanon are formally in a state of war and have no agreed sea border. The US intends to analyse the data on the line that Israel has determined, along with UN experts, and examine ways in which they could assist in resolving the issue through negotiations.