Hochstein in Beirut Today: "Don't Torture Me Like Last Time"

Today, the U.S. presidential envoy Amos Hochstein arrives in Lebanon to follow up on the commencement of drilling operations in block number 9 and to present a new mediation effort aimed at resolving the land border issue between Lebanon and occupied Palestine. "Al-Akhbar" learned that the U.S. envoy is optimistic about his ability to quickly achieve an agreement on the land border matter, based on the conclusions reached by the United Nations discussions regarding the renewal of international peacekeeping forces in the south. However, he is proceeding with caution to avoid being pressured as he was in the maritime file. He informed one of the Lebanese officials that he "wants to finalize the matter quickly and does not wish to be constrained by many conditions as was the case with the maritime file." The Lebanese official conveyed that Hochstein expressed in Arabic: "Don't torture me like last time."