US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein reacts as he meets with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati (not pictured) in Beirut on Tuesday. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
BEIRUT — The US mediator for the Lebanese-Israeli maritime border negotiations, Amos Hochstein, said Tuesday that what is needed in the negotiations is “a creative idea” that both sides can “compromise around.” Hochstein’s remarks came as he discussed the question of Lebanon’s maximalist claim of territorial waters up to the offshore demarcation identified as line 29 during an interview with the Alhurra TV channel. Tensions rose between Lebanon and Israel last week after the latter’s deployment of a vessel to the Karish gas field, part of which is in the disputed waters.
Here’s what we know:
• Hochstein arrived in Lebanon on Monday afternoon after Israel deployed a floating production, storage and offloading vessel to the disputed Karish offshore gas field. The vessel arrived in Karish on June 5, causing tensions with Lebanon.
• Talking to Alhurra, Hochstein said that “sometimes when you are most right, you also have nothing to show for it; there are two sides here, both sides need to get something out of this.” Hochstein also said that “instead of focusing on what is rightfully mine versus the other side saying what is rightfully theirs … as much energy should be placed into thinking is what is a creative idea that we can all compromise around that both sides will feel I may have not gotten everything I want but I have a lot more than what I have now.’
• Earlier today, the Lebanese presidency’s Twitter account said Aoun has responded to Hochstein on a proposal the latter presented to the Lebanese president a few months ago. No explanation of what Hochstein’s proposal was or Aoun’s response to it was given.
• Yesterday, a source from the Presidential Palace told L’Orient Today that Lebanon is going to try to “secure” the Qana gas field and “negotiate” on line 29 in its maritime border negotiations with Israel, which puts an extra 1,430 square kilometers within Lebanon’s maritime borders. However, Aoun has so far not signed an amendment to Decree No. 6433 of 2011 that would affirm Beirut’s claim to territory up to line 29 of the maritime borders rather than line 23.
• Last Thursday, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement and Aoun’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil appeared to propose a solution for the maritime border negotiations, saying “now is the time to impose an equation of no gas from Karish means no gas from Qana.” The Qana gas field exceeds line 23 on the maritime borders, which Lebanon officially considers to be the end of its maritime borders.