Israel's Offshore Claims and Oil Man Tillerson's Ulterior Motives in Lebanon

Lebanon Rejects US Proposal on Maritime Borders with Israel

by Ramzy Baroud - Palestine Chronicle

February 18, 2018

Speaker of Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri Friday told state National News Agency (NNA) a US proposal concerning the disputed Lebanon-Israel maritime border was “unacceptable.” During a meeting with acting Assistant US Secretary of State David Satterfield, Berri stressed, borders could only be demarcated based on the April 1996 Understanding between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered by the US to end the conflict initiated by Israel’s Grapes of Wrath operation.


Israeli soldiers leaving Lebanon after
the failed invasion of 2006.
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

After the conflict, a Monitoring Committee was set up to implement the Understandings; it was composed of US, France, Syria, Israel and Lebanon

Beside meeting with Berri, Satterfield met on Friday with Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri.

In a statement issued by Berri’s office, he insisted that borders’ demarcation could only be decided by the Monitoring Committee.

The statement added that this stance was expressed during a discussion about regional issues and the maritime borders with Israel.

According to Anadolu Agency, Satterfield offered a previous US proposal, which is based on Lebanon conceding 360 square kms out of its 860 square kms of water to Israel. This area is known as the disputed Number 9 oil field.