Idiris Okuduci
05 October 2022•Update: 05 October 2022
BEIRUT, Lebanon
Lebanon requested changes Tuesday to a US proposal to resolve a maritime border dispute with Israel.
Lebanon’s Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab confirmed the request, adding that a final agreement has not yet been reached.
Stressing that Lebanon will not pay any share from the Karish Gas Field to Tel Aviv, he noted that this principle forms the basis of the agreement and that Israel does not have any rights in the field.
Early Tuesday, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Beirut had some comments on a US proposal for a maritime border deal with Israel and would send them to US mediator Amos Hochstein.
The Lebanese premier stressed that ensuring Lebanon's rights is "fundamental" and not subject to concessions.
On Saturday, Lebanon said it received a letter from Hochstein regarding a proposed solution to the maritime border dispute.
The US proposal was also handed to the Israeli side on Sunday, with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid saying it would "strengthen Israel's security and Israel's economy."
Lebanon and Israel have been locked in a dispute over a maritime area of 860 square kilometers (332 square miles), according to maps sent by both countries to the UN in 2011.
The area is rich in natural gas and oil. Starting in 2020, five sessions of indirect negotiations have been held on the issue under UN sponsorship and US mediation, with the latest round held in May 2021.
