Israeli occupation cabinet approves border agreement with Lebanon

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The Israeli occupation cabinet approved on Wednesday the US-brokered maritime border agreement with Lebanon, with all its members voting in favor, except Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked who abstained, Israeli media reported.

The media said Israeli occupation Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, does not wish to seek the Knesset's approval, since if put to vote in the parliament, it is not clear whether the maritime agreement will pass.

According to Haaretz, the agreement "is due to be submitted to the Knesset for a two-week period during which lawmakers will have the opportunity to submit reservations regarding the agreement. It is then expected to be returned to the cabinet for a vote on final approval."

On Wednesday morning, the Israeli occupation High Court of Justice rejected a request presented by a lobbying organization "to issue an injunction against the government to prevent it from signing the agreement given the short period of time before the elections scheduled for November 1," Israeli media said.

Israeli authorities clarified that the government's expected decision regarding the agreement is only "the start of the approval process," Haaretz reported.

No legal obligation for Knesset's approval

The legal advisor to the Israeli occupation government, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, recommended Tuesday that the agreement be brought to the Knesset for formal parliamentary approval.

"There is no obligation by law to bring an agreement of this sort for approval by the Knesset," Baharav-Miara pointed out, but noted that "at the same time, in light of the special nature of the agreement and the significant proximity to the election, bringing it before the Knesset would be the preferable and appropriate option."

In the same context, Shaked told Wednesday KAN Radio that Alternate Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett refused her request to use his veto power to force the Lebanon border agreement to be put to the vote in the Knesset.

"I told him [Bennett] that he should use his authority in order for the agreement to be approved by the Knesset, that is my opinion, [but] he thought otherwise," Shaked said, noting that she had reservations about the agreement.

She added that "the deal could have been better, we could have reached a better outcome," stressing that "one thing needs to be clear – the Karish gas rig should not be linked to the agreement."

Bennett had announced earlier on Wednesday that he would support the agreement with Lebanon, saying that "not everything that is good for Lebanon is bad for Israel." But he pointed out that "the deal is no historic diplomatic victory, but it isn't a terrible surrender either."

On Tuesday, Shaked said she will vote against the agreement if the government does not present it to the Knesset for approval.

Shaked considered that "every significant deal in recent history has been brought before the Knesset for approval, out of an understanding that significant issues need to be brought" to the parliament.

Haaretz: Truth is "Israel" deterred by Hezbollah

Earlier, Haaretz tackled the Israeli occupation's maritime border agreement with Lebanon and considered that the balance tilted to Lebanese Hezbollah's side in this matter.

The newspaper indicated that "beneath the debate surrounding the maritime agreement with Lebanon, like gas deep under the seabed, simmers a repressed issue, whose potential for igniting and exploding is similar to that of a huge gas deposit: the fact that Israel is deterred by Hezbollah."

Haaretz said the "Israeli society is not interested in discussing the price of war with Hezbollah. This is a doomsday scenario. Thousands of missiles on Israeli cities. Tremendous destruction, cities in ruins, thousands of civilians killed, hundreds of thousands injured."

According to the Israeli newspaper, "Israel has very good reasons to strive for an understanding with Hezbollah or, unfortunately, for a balance of terror, because the trauma of another war against the organization will leave a scar so deep."

Lapid claims historic agreement, Netanyahu says 'historic submission'

Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced on Tuesday that "Israel" has reached a historic agreement on maritime demarcation agreement mediated by the US.

"This is a historic achievement that will bolster Israel's security, bring billions into the Israeli economy and bring stability to the northern border," Lapid said in a statement.

Israeli media, soon after Lapid's statements, gave former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a platform to criticize the drafted agreement from a position of opposition.

The Israeli opposition leader argued that "this is not a historical agreement, but rather a historical submission, liquidation [in the commercial sense] one that pertains specifically to Lapid."

Former Israeli General: Hezbollah threatens, 'Israel' kneels

In the same context, Israeli former Brigadier General Amir Avivi said on Tuesday that Hezbollah has forced "Israel" to submit and kneel.

Avivi considered that Hezbollah forced "Tel Aviv" to accept Lebanon's terms in the border demarcation, according to the Israeli website 0404.

The former Brigadier General clarified that "Israel" is now witnessing a dangerous precedent whereby Hezbollah has threatened "Israel", and "Israel" has submitted to the threat especially now that it is close to holding Knesset elections in November.

The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, affirmed on Tuesday that "we are going through decisive times in the issue of border demarcation and the extraction of oil and gas," noting that the demarcation process has been very difficult during the past few days.

The Resistance leader stressed that "until the agreement is signed, we must remain vigilant in light of the contradictory Israeli statements."

Read more: Lebanese Presidency: Final demarcation draft meets Lebanon's demands