This is what senior officials in the Ministry of Energy said regarding the historic talks that will open tomorrow between Israel and Lebanon • At the focus of the meeting: the dispute over the economic water border
At exactly ten o'clock tomorrow (Wednesday), negotiations are expected to open between Israel and Lebanon regarding the dispute over the economic water border between the two countries.
Official negotiations between the countries have not taken place for decades.
Archive photo: IDF Spokesman
The Israeli delegation, led by the director general of the Ministry of Energy, Udi Adiri, will sit with a Lebanese delegation, mediated by the United States, in a UN tent in Nakura - 200 meters north of the Lebanese border. Shot, John Desrucher, after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State David Shenkar will open talks tomorrow.
Ready for compromise
The fact that the negotiations are being led by the Ministry of Energy indicates the limited and specific expectations of these talks.
The battered Lebanese economy still imports oil, as it fails to meet its demand from the small energy discoveries it has managed to generate.
Israel, on the other hand, already exports natural gas and does not rely on energy imports.
This is a dramatic development during the decade in which countries do not reach an agreement on the economic water border within those 150 km of maritime border. It may be significant in terms of its natural gas potential. It is a 6-5 km strip that constitutes about 2% of Israel's total territorial waters and about 3% of Lebanon's territorial waters.
The last time Lebanon expressed willingness to hold these talks through American mediation, it withdrew due to Hezbollah threats.
Now, after their explosions, the organization responsible for destroying Lebanon and public criticism of it, combined with President Trump's pressure to register another achievement in the region, are in talks.
According to sources in the Ministry of Energy, Israel will be willing to compromise, but it will want to see reciprocity in this willingness.
In other words, if the Lebanese come up with demands without a willingness to compromise - an agreement will not come out of these talks either.
In contrast, success in talks may create important momentum for continued dialogue between countries.
The opening of the talks tomorrow was preceded by no less than three years of American mediation work.
Meanwhile, another thing has fallen in the area: the huge energy company Chevron has entered Israel through the acquisition of Noble Energy, which owns Israel's large natural gas reserves.
The disputed area with Lebanon, known as "Block 9", has a high potential for the presence of natural gas, which may be of interest to Chevron and other large energy companies.
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz even spoke with his Turkish counterpart about the possibility of a common gas pipeline - talks that have been interrupted, but are still a possibility that may mature into action.
According to the Ministry of Energy, meanwhile, some progress has also been made regarding Israel's natural gas dispute with Cyprus.