JERUSALEM — Israel’s Security Cabinet voted on Wednesday, Oct. 12, in favor of a maritime and gas agreement with Lebanon that was mediated by the US.
The issue will now go to the full Cabinet for approval. It will be submitted to the Knesset for review, but the Cabinet has yet to decide whether the legislature will vote on the issue.
Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Prime Minister Yair Lapid of caving in to Hezbollah. The Iranian-backed terror organization has threatened to attack Israel if it began extracting gas from the Karish reservoir before reaching an agreement with the Lebanese government.
Debate on the accord will play a role in Israel’s upcoming election in November.
Israel conceded all of Lebanon’s claim to 330 square miles. At the same time, the agreement possibly advances the prospects of Lebanon joning the Abraham Accords, making peace with Israel, though Lebanon said that the agreement should not be view as a step in this direction.
The agreement may reduce the chances of another Lebanon-Israel war, though with Iran calling many of the shots in Lebanon, this is uncertain.
This week’s vote concluded a session in which the proposed agreement was discussed, including by senior members of the Israeli military.
The Security Cabinet voted in favor of a summary of the agreement that was formulated by Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
The summary states, “There is importance and urgency in reaching the maritime agreement between Israel and Lebanon at this time. “
All the Security Cabinet members voted in support of Lapid’s summary, with the exception of Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, who abstained.
Among those who voted in favor was alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Shaked’s former political partner.
The latest US-mediated proposal will reportedly draw a border between the two countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs) based largely on a boundary known as Line 23, and award a disputed area of around 840 square kilometers (about 330 square miles) to Lebanon, while recognizing Israel’s claim to the Karish gas field and to royalties (an expected share of about 17%) from the section of the Qana field that extends into the Jewish state’s EEZ.
In return for the 330 mile concession, Israel’s demand to preserve a five-kilometer line from the coastline into the sea, running north of Line 23, was accepted by Lebanon.
In a statement, Bennett said that he saw value in reaching an accord, “but not at any price, and certainly not under threat. Now, we have reached a deal under different circumstances and through a different path than planned. Still, under the current circumstances, it is right to approve it.”
Calling the agreement a “historic breakthrough in the Middle East,” President Joe Biden this week thanked Lapid and Lebanese president Michel Aoun in addition to giving a nod to French president Emmanuel Macron for his support during negotiations.
“Energy — particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean — should serve as the tool for cooperation, stability, security, and prosperity, not for conflict,” Biden said in a statement.
“The agreement announced by both governments today will provide for the development of energy fields for the benefit of both countries, setting the stage for a more stable and prosperous region, and harnessing vital new energy resources for the world. It is now critical that all parties uphold their commitments and work towards implementation.”
Biden stated that the agreement supports Israeli security and economic interests while providing “Lebanon the space to begin its own exploitation of energy resources.
“And it promotes the interests of the US and the American people in a more stable, prosperous, and integrated Middle East region, with reduced risks of new conflicts.”
US Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed the pact, calling it “a significant step forward in regional economic development, particularly for Lebanon,” that “will contribute to ensuring peace and stability in the region as well as help Europe continue efforts towards diversifying its energy supply.”
Because of the agreement, Israel can now begin exporting gas to Europe, a critical development in light of Russia’s cutoff of European energy supplies.
