Israeli disagreements have dissipated all the positive atmospheres that prevailed in recent days regarding the potential delineation of borders and the start of oil and gas exploration. The entrenched conflict within Israel between the government and the opposition, represented by Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, and the inclusion of the delineation topic in the electoral market, has led to the freezing of this file. Accordingly, the delineation file has effectively become frozen until after the Israeli elections, as affirmed by informed sources, considering that what has transpired necessitates American mediator Amos Hochstein to exert intensive efforts to extract the file from the Israeli bottleneck trying to stifle and undermine it entirely.
Sources highlighted through "Al-Anba" electronic that Hochstein will launch his new move based on two premises: the need for Europe for natural gas after the difficulties in obtaining it from Russia due to the European stance supporting Ukraine, and the American desire to ensure security calm between Lebanon and Israel, in a diligent attempt to defuse the war threat being waved by Israeli leaders.
However, the question remains whether Hochstein has the authority to enforce a signature by force or if he will yield to the Israeli stance and freeze the file until the ground is prepared for its implementation? In this context, international law professor Khalil Hassan mentioned in a call with "Al-Anba" electronic that the Israeli escalation is merely an electoral escalation, nothing more and nothing less, as there is significant division within Israel, ruling out the possibility that Lebanese observations are the actual reasons for the file's freeze.
Hassan stated, "The United States has the responsibility to convince the Israeli side to sign," while not denying that "perhaps some details could be a source of caution leading to an agreement freeze, but on the other hand, what does it mean that one of the Israeli leaders announced that oil exploration will soon begin near the Karish field, and is what we are hearing in this regard just an electoral escalation?"
