Amid rising tensions over gas reserves, Israel to submit proposal to UN on where maritime economic border with Lebanon should be over next few days; U.S. endorsed Lebanon’s proposal submitted to UN in August.
By Barak Ravid, HAARETZ
In the next few days Israel will submit to the United Nations its take on where its maritime economic border with Lebanon should be, as the two countries scramble for gas reserves estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
Israel’s position is due to be approved by the cabinet on Sunday; Jerusalem argues that Lebanon’s proposal includes major areas belonging to Israel.
Last August, Lebanon submitted to the United Nations its version of where the maritime border should be – the exclusive economic zone. In November, it submitted its version of its western border, with Cyprus.
The Lebanese proposal does not include the large Tamar and Leviathan gas prospects, operated by Delek Energy and U.S. company Noble Energy. But the National Infrastructure Ministry found that the proposal contains reserves with a potential value in the billions of dollars.
The Lebanese also sent their version to the United States, which conducted an expert review and endorsed the document. A senior Foreign Ministry official told Haaretz that the American diplomat in charge of the issue was Frederic Hof, who was responsible for Syria and Lebanon under the former U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell. Hof has kept the Israel-Lebanon brief despite Mitchell’s resignation two months ago.
In April, Hof began shuttling between Beirut and Jerusalem. A senior administration official told Haaretz that Hof’s main goal was to prevent the border from becoming a source of tension between Israel and Lebanon, which could give Hezbollah a pretext for targeting Israeli gas installations.
Beyond the political and diplomatic interest, the United States has an economic interest in keeping the parties calm, not least because American companies are involved in the search for gas an oil in Israel, Lebanon and Cyprus. Hof told his counterparts in Jerusalem that Israel should cooperate with setting the maritime border to prevent the creation of an “underwater Shaba Farms,” referring to a contested area on the Israel-Lebanon border.
The Foreign Ministry official said Israel had asked the Americans to relay a warning to Lebanon on the matter. Foreign Ministry officials told Hof that Israel would not allow a provocation on the matter or an attack on Israeli gas installations. They said Israel would consider such an attack an attack on its sovereign territory and would retaliate “strongly” against Lebanon.
Hof responded by suggesting that Israel submit to the United Nations its own outlook on the border and try to launch a dialogue. Hof asked Israel not to turn the issue into a political spat but to see it as an economic and technical matter that could benefit all parties.
Israel rejected indirect talks via the United Nations, calling on Lebanon to begin negotiations on all border issues, not just the maritime border. The foreign and infrastructure ministries believe that Lebanon is claiming vast offshore territories that belong to Israel under international law.
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“It’s important to provide the UN with the Israeli version of the border as soon as possible, to react to Lebanon’s unilateral move,” a senior Foreign Ministry official told Haaretz. “Not responding could be interpreted as a tacit agreement. We must act fast to ensure Israel’s economic rights in these areas.”
Israel has become even more concerned about the positioning of the border after learning recently that a Norwegian company has begun searching for gas in the area. The search is due to be completed within months, and the Lebanese government hopes to use the findings to license international energy companies to probe areas that could be in Israel’s exclusive economic zone.
Ted runs a great site. Let us not corrupt it with stupid comments or insults. Most of the comments a very well-informed and constructive. I thank those that helped me formulate my thinking. You are having an effect––I circulate many of the articles that Ted posts as well as many of the comments to the associates of mine in the Obama administration and within some of the think tanks that I am associated with. So Ted and responders please keep doing all this good work. I have missed the very intelligent and useful postings of Dr. David starlight. He is a true genius with a fantastic record of accomplishment. I find Yamit82 is always interesting and useful. I urge him to keep presenting us with those thoughtful materials such as those as he has provided in this thread.
@ Shy Guy:
I have the comment Ted removed. pisskin should have been removed with it. Re: his comment re: G. warts? Well after-all, he is the expert. He claims to have been a G…..wart inspector in one of Montreal’s famous cat-houses for guys. I believe him.
Who cares what anyone (especially Hof ,and the Arab in western garb: Mitchell) appointed by the incredibly moronic Nazi Obama thinks or says. Obama can take his appointees and shove them up his —-. The countdown to the end of the nightmare has started. Obama is a lame duck if there ever was one. Even, the incredibly stupid, totally brainwashed American voter ( except for the biggest racists in the US :Blacks) have finally come out of their coma and see how the creature in the WH is worse than an invading army. I would love for the Nazi-like Norweigans to tangle with the Israelis. They are a very antisemitic people and it’s no surprise they are assisting the Islamic supremacists in their attempt to steal Israel’s natural resources.
The US diplomat working the issue, Frederic Hof, has reportedly compounded this error with his justification for siding with Lebanon:
” A senior administration official told Haaretz that Hof’s main goal was to prevent the border from becoming a source of tension between Israel and Lebanon, which could give Hezbollah a pretext for targeting Israeli gas installations”.
i.e. give them what they want so they won’t get angry.
Pisskin, dat u?
ellen
no you are way out in left field. He is too an Ayrab. I know several people who attended his bris- i believe it was in a tent in saudia arabia, his father was a shiek or an imman, something like that. please get your facts xcorrect when you write.
@lionofjudah – Obama is a Semi Black Muslim but he is not an ARAB. He is trying to side up to the Arabs in his unrelenting hate for Israel. That is what Mubarak meant when he told obama that he does not understand the Arab mentality.
Unfortunately, for Americans and Israelis, the U.S. government is anti-America, anti-Israel, anti-Free World and rabidly pro-Islam. Accordingly, the U.S. backs Hizbullah terrorist-controlled Lebanon to STEAL from our ally, Israel. It is disgusting.
Andrew if u are talking about Hillary Clinton or Bill Clinton, i am not them, my real name is Clinton Wallace Alexander and thru the years i have lost several friends cause they said i was 2 radical supporter of Israel and the Jewish people, like the Jewish settlers i feel they have the right to live anywere they want in Israel and i dont agree with the Israeli government removing the Jewish settlers, as 4 the arabs and the so called palestians and the plo not liking Jewish settlers well arabs and palestians move to jordan a palestian country, arabs and palestians that dont like my pro Israel pro Jewish views ram it and as 4 muslim terrorists there is a place that burns with fire and brimstome 4 eternity
@Clinton –
Sorry mate. For me the name Clinton is synonymous with nice words towards Israel while stabbing it in the back.
Andrew, neither is sarcastic, yes my real name is Clinton and I meant what I said about Israel period
@ Clinton:
Your name is Clinton and you stand with Israel. Is your name or comment sarcastic?
I stand with, Israel, why should Israel have to give anything up they won
Muslims are fundamentally pirates. They live by appropriating, via force or the threat of force, the hard-earned resources of others. That hasn’t changed in 13 centuries.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was a business partner of George Soros until recently. Former president Bill Clinton (husband to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) is a business lobbyist who personally met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to aggressively lobby for one of his clients to gain certain benefits from Israel. And we have to look at the financial interests and affiliations past, present, and likely future of those in the Obama administration who deal in any way with this issue. I am sure that Israel is playing against a stacked deck.
Additional observations on this matter would be appreciated.
Ted runs the wonderful formum for sharing ideas and information.
I knew this was going to happen. As soon as I read about these gas discoveries I knew it wouldn’t be long before the arabs with the backing of the international community would try to take it away from Israel by claiming it wasn’t in her territorial waters. The global assault on Israel and its sovereignty is unending.
You still don’t get it:Obama is a PALESTINIAN
The US wants Israel to turn over its hard-won natural gas fields to Hezbollah!
Not exactly a surprising development.
The Next Big Lebanon-Israel Flare-Up: Gas
In January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the offshore gas fields as a “strategic objective that Israel’s enemies will try to undermine” and vowed that “Israel will defend its resources.” The Israeli navy has since reportedly presented to the government a maritime-security plan costing between $40 million and $70 million to defend the gas fields.
Upping the ante even further, Nasrallah promised that if Israel threatens future Lebanese plans to tap its oil and gas reserves, “only the Resistance [Hizballah] would force Israel and the world to respect Lebanon’s right.”
Then there is the recent passage of two Iranian navy vessels in the Mediterranean and the subsequent discovery by the Israeli navy of a smuggled consignment of arms and ammunition that included six C-704 antiship missiles believed destined for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The missiles, though smaller than the C-802, could target Israeli shipping off Gaza as well as Israel’s Yam Tethys oil rig off the coast of Ashkelon. Citing the Iranian vessels and smuggled antiship missiles, security analyst Luft said, “Such activities could present real threats to exploration activities off Israel.” The potential oil and gas fields off the Lebanese and Israeli coasts look set not only to become a potential long-term source of wealth — but also a source of conflict in the years ahead.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2061187,00.html#ixzz1RgeiqKmn
Lebanese FM Against Israel-Cyprus Maritime Borders
NICOSIA – Lebanon’s complaint to the UN about Cyprus and Israel’s agreement on their sea borders is a matter between Israel and Lebanon, said Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides.
NICOSIA – Lebanon’s complaint to the UN about Cyprus and Israel’s agreement on their sea borders is a matter between Israel and Lebanon, said Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides.