The US mediator's proposal on the demarcation of the maritime border between Lebanon and Israel "
protects
" and "
strengthens
" the interests of the Jewish state, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Sunday.
Lebanon and Israel, neighboring countries officially in a state of war, have been negotiating for two years through the United States to delimit their maritime border and thus remove obstacles to the prospecting and exploitation of offshore deposits.
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The Lebanese presidency announced on Saturday that it had received the latest proposal from the American mediator, Amos Hochstein.
Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hezbollah armed movement which dominates political life in Lebanon, hailed "
a very important step
", welcoming that there is now a written text and affirming that "
the days to come will be crucial
".
In his first reaction to these developments, Yaïr Lapid said on Sunday that he had also received the American proposal and was negotiating “
the final details
”.
An agreement awaited for ten years
"
We cannot yet say this is a done deal, but we can say that, as we requested from the outset, the proposal fully protects Israel's security, diplomatic and economic interests.
" , said Yaïr Lapid during the weekly meeting of his ministerial cabinet.
“
For more than ten years, Israel has been trying to reach this agreement.
The security of the North (of the country) will be strengthened.
The Karish field will come into service and will produce natural gas (...) We are not opposed to the development of an additional gas field in Lebanon from which we will receive our fair share
”, added Yaïr Lapid.
The Lebanese and Israeli authorities did not reveal the text of the American mediation this weekend, but according to the Lebanese daily
L'Orient-Le Jour
, the Karish deposit remains in Israeli hands, while Lebanon would obtain "
the entire Cana gas field
" although part of the latter "
exceeds
" the future demarcation line between the two countries in the eastern Mediterranean.
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The Israeli authorities have indicated that they want to start gas production as soon as possible on the Karish field, operated by the British group Energean.
For its part, the French group Total is approached to prospect and exploit the Qana deposit, senior Israeli officials following this file told AFP.
