Lebanon is once again focused on reviewing the draft that Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab received early this morning from American mediator Amos Hochstein. Ultimately, the atmosphere seems positive, leaning towards finalizing and signing the agreement. However, what remains uncertain is Israel's willingness to sign the agreement before the Israeli elections or to postpone it until after the results are announced, which could threaten the deal once again.
**An Iraqi Breach?**
Israel has continued its escalatory approach regarding the agreement and Lebanon's remarks about it. This was followed by the announcement from "Energean," the operating company for the gas reservoir, that it had begun testing gas flow from the shore to the sea, in coordination with the Israeli government. It was revealed that the American mediator had informed Lebanon, assuring that this step was a technical matter regarding the flow of gas from the land to the sea and not vice versa. It was also notable that the Israeli newspaper "Yediot Ahronot" reported that Iraqi hackers breached the websites of the gas companies "Energean" and "Netivei Gaz Yisrael" simultaneously with the experimental pumping steps.
Informed sources regarding the American position confirmed to the "Asas" website the seriousness of the positive atmosphere, stating that the American side has exerted pressure in all directions to pass the agreement. Despite the charged atmosphere and Israeli threats suggesting difficulty in passing the agreement, sources closely tied to the file assured "Asas" that all the tension and escalation in Israeli positions do not negate the fact that negotiations were still ongoing between Bou Saab and mediator Hochstein, who kept his promise to deliver the final version of the agreement along with the Israeli remarks early this morning.
**Ongoing Negotiations**
Regarding the final Israeli response to Lebanon's remarks, the sources indicated that "the issue is not dependent on a written reply; rather, there are negotiations of give and take, and the American mediator has been and remains adamant about resolving issues wherever they exist." Concerning the test being conducted by "Energean," the sources pointed out that "Lebanon was already aware of the operating company's testing of gas flow from the land to the sea, and this is not the first time such a purely technical test has been conducted."
"Basis" learned that Lebanon is insisting on four remarks, with other comments ranging from essential to non-binding, meaning they could be reconsidered as they would not affect the gains Lebanon has achieved. The most important remarks relate to the actions of the buoys on the maritime boundary and the section of the Qana field for which the French company Total will compensate Israel.
**Multiple Confusions**
Delaying the completion of the agreement would create many obstacles, the most significant of which are the contracts signed with companies specialized in exploration and extraction, and if Benjamin Netanyahu were to win, it would return the file to its beginnings and free it from its terms.
The situation is not better from the Lebanese side, as negotiations for the agreement coincide with the last term of Michel Aoun and the peak of political disputes over forming a government, while the need is urgent for signing such an agreement. However, there were substantial issues left unresolved concerning the buoy line that Lebanon does not recognize and Line B1 leading up to Ras Naqoura, which Israel insists must be included in the agreement. The exit proposed by the American mediator to expedite reaching an agreement was to steer clear of contentious points and postpone them to later stages.
In the end, Hochstein succeeded in formulating ambiguous text with phrases open to interpretation from both sides. The dispute was "over a single word," as Gebran Bassil stated in a televised interview late last night. Thus, the legal team between Lebanon and America focused on preparing a legal wording for the agreement and clearly framing expressions to eliminate ambiguity. According to the instructions that Lebanon was operating on, the approach involved accommodating some remarks that might not affect the core of the agreement while ensuring not to complicate situations to the extent that would allow Israel to renege on the agreement.
Informed sources about the American position confirmed to "Asas" the seriousness of the positive atmosphere, stating that the American side exerted pressure in all directions to pass the agreement due to the American interest in resolving the maritime demarcation between Lebanon and Israel, especially amid rising tensions between Russia and the United States and worsening conditions in Ukraine. Concurrently, Lebanese sources conveyed that the significant breakthrough in the agreement stemmed from a secret word among all parties to segment the agreement in one way or another to transition to discussing the signing and its mechanism, whether it would occur immediately after the announcement of the agreement or weeks thereafter, according to what was stated in the written text.
