U.S. envoy for indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel over the delineation of their maritime border, Amos Hochstein, in Beirut June 14, 2022. (Mohamad Azakir/Reuters)
BEIRUT — US State Department spokesman Ned Price announced Monday evening that Amos Hochstein, US envoy in charge of indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel over their common maritime border, visited Israel last week to discuss maritime negotiations.
Here’s what we know:
• He stated that this is “a step forward with the objective of reducing the differences” of point of views between the two countries.
• Hochstein had visited Lebanon in early June. Lebanese officials had communicated to him a new proposal to expand line 23 to include the entire Qana maritime field in Lebanese maritime space.
• "The exchanges were productive and made progress towards narrowing the differences between the two sides. The United States will remain engaged with all parties in the days and weeks ahead," Price said in a statement.
• Lebanon and Israel engaged in a number of rounds of indirect talks on disputed maritime territory, potentially rich in petroleum resources, between Oct. 2020 and May 2021, when the negotiations were halted.