Lebanon protests Israeli bid to annex maritime area

Area’s energy reserves could potentially generate billions in revenue

Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has submitted a letter to the United Nations to protest a pending bill in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) that calls for the annexation of a disputed maritime border area with Lebanon. According to a report in the daily Al Jumhuriyyah, the Israeli government’s move mobilised Lebanese officials suspicious of Israeli designs on the area abundant with hydrocarbon gas.

The 860 square kilometre area could contain energy reserves that could generate up to $600 billion over the course of a few decades.

Lebanon, which suffers from crippling debt and economic stagnation, is in dire need of such oil and gas resources.

Although Washington managed to reach a draft accord in 2016 guaranteeing allocated zones, Israel has refused to commit, and has stuck to the false claim that the Leviathan field was mostly inside ‘Israeli’ territorial waters.

Lebanese politicians, meanwhile, have also not taken advantage of US mediation efforts to resolve the maritime dispute — which only hurts Lebanon’s long-term strategic and economic interests.

In January 2017, the slowmoving Lebanese government finally approved several decrees to pave the way for oil and gas extraction off its coast.

But two years of internal bickering among politicians keen on securing their ‘fair’ share of the bounty have delayed the exploration process.

Lebanon has yet to issue tenders for maritime drilling and exploration.

In fact, the demarcation of both land and sea frontiers between the two countries is still subject to the 1948 Armistice, an agreement that ensured a ceasefire when the state of Israel was created.