Lebanon Expands Claims in Maritime Dispute With Israel
Israel and Lebanon border the Mediterranean Sea (Snappy Goat)
Lebanese Transportation Minister Michel Najjar announced on April 12 that Lebanon would expand its claims in its maritime border dispute with Israel. The unilateral and unexpected action is likely to anger both the Israeli government and the U.S.
The Lebanese Republic and the State of Israel both lie adjacent to the Eastern Mediterranean and consequently share a maritime border with each other, but this border is not fully demarcated. The current struggle on both sides to articulate the exact borders is a leading source of tension between the two states.
Both countries met for U.S.-mediated talks to resolve a disagreement over a 534-square-mile zone of the Mediterranean in October 2020. These waters are also believed to contain oil and natural gas reserves, greatly heightening the stakes of this dispute. Unfortunately, the October talks stalled and took a backseat to the November presidential election in the United States.
In addition to the potential access to energy resources, the Lebanese-Israeli maritime dispute is further complicated by the historical enmity between the two countries. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) arose from the creation of Israel and the resulting expulsion of Palestinian refugees. As a result, the PLO’s inception was used as an instrument of regaining Palestinian territory. The PLO eventually made its home in Lebanon after being expelled from Jordan, but continued conflict with its southern neighbor, leading to an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon in 1978 and again in 1982.
A different organization, Hezbollah (an entity considered a terrorist group by Israel), is also deeply embedded in southern Lebanon and maintains considerable political influence within Beirut. Discord between Hezbollah and Israel sparked another Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 2006. The two countries technically remain in a state of war.
The current Lebanese government also appears to be responding to this dispute in the context of political incentives. The last government coalition collapsed in the wake of the deadly explosion in Beirut in August 2020. The economy also suffered a severe downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic and is in desperate need of cash; the extraction and subsequent export of gas and oil from the disputed waters would provide a lifeline to the ailing Lebanese economy.
In response to Lebanon’s preemptive move, Israel’s energy minister Yuval Steinitz accused Beirut of trying to derail current negotiations and promised “parallel measures by Israel.” But Lebanese Transportation Minister Najjar remained firm on his government’s decision, stating that “We will not give up any inch of our homeland or a drop of its waters or an inch of its dignity.” It is not yet clear how negotiations will proceed moving forward.