Lebanon to receive Hochstein's final demarcation proposal in few hours
The Lebanese Presidency announces that President Michel Aoun received a call from the American mediator to brief him on the final proposal for the demarcation of the maritime border.
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Lebanese President Michel Aoun (AFP)
The Lebanese Presidency announced that President Aoun received a call from Hochstein, in which he briefed him on the recent results of the contacts on the demarcation of the maritime border with occupied Palestine.
The Presidency added that Hochstein confirmed to President Aoun the conclusion of the discussion rounds and the identification of remarks, stating that he will send the final version within a few hours.
In response, the Lebanese presidency, in its statement, said Lebanon will carefully examine the final version of Hochstein's proposal in preparation for taking the appropriate relevant decision.
On October 6, an Israeli official said the Israeli occupation rejected revisions requested by Lebanon to the US-mediated border demarcation proposal.
The official, announcing Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s decision to reject the revision requests, warned that any further negotiations would cease should Hezbollah threaten the Karish gas rig.
"Lapid was briefed on the substantive changes Lebanon was seeking to make to the agreement and instructed his negotiating team to reject them," the official said, adding that the Israeli occupation's PM said "Israel" "would not compromise on its economic and security interests, even if it meant no deal would be reached anytime soon."
Yesterday, Israeli occupation Security Minister Benny Gantz said "Israel" is prepared to defend its infrastructure whether a deal with Lebanon is signed or not.
Gantz warned that the military cost to Lebanon and Hezbollah "will be very grave" in case the Lebanese Resistance party attacked the Israeli occupation, claiming that "we are not eager for war but are prepared for one."
In the same context, Israeli media considered that the Lebanese maritime border agreement strengthens Hezbollah's position inside Lebanon, stressing that Hezbollah has once again proven that it can achieve its political and strategic goals in Lebanon and the region thanks to its military strength that cannot be dissuaded or weakened.
An Israeli expert on Arab affairs, Yoni Ben-Menachem, said on Twitter that the Biden administration is pressuring "Israel" to approve the draft maritime border agreement with Lebanon, despite the revisions that Lebanon made to the proposal.
Ben-Menachem noted that Hezbollah is credited with achieving the agreement and presenting it as a victory.
He considered that two elements subjugated Lapid and Gantz to sign the maritime agreement with Lebanon. The first was Biden, who wants to secure gas for Europe amid the war in Ukraine, while the second is Hezbollah.
