Why before the elections? US pressure to demarcate Lebanon's maritime borders
At Israel's request, the United States established itself as a mediator in the dispute over the maritime borders between Lebanon and occupied

At Israel's request, the United States established itself as a mediator in the dispute over the maritime borders between Lebanon and occupied Palestine. The conflict is old, and Washington sent Frederick Hof as a mediator, years ago, who conducted research and surveys in the disputed area, and came up with a proposal to give Lebanon about 500 square kilometers out of its total area of 860 square kilometers, with the rest going to the Zionist entity.
Lebanon rejected Hof's proposal, so Washington's efforts were frozen for years, then they were resumed several months ago, without being accompanied by an agreement. After that, a new American mediator, Amos Hochstein, who holds Israeli citizenship and served in the Israeli army, came and gave his opinion to settle the conflict, without reaching a conclusion, although he claimed that he outlined a possible settlement project for the conflict, which he will inform the two parties to the conflict on his next visit.
Hochstein did not come according to his promise, but sent a message to Lebanon carried by Dorothy Shea, the American ambassador in Beirut, to the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun
. 23 in drawing the southern maritime borders, provided that this line deviates upwards to the north at Blocks 8 and 10 so that they and the outer part of the Lebanese Qana field become the share of the Israeli enemy.
The French “Total” company on the part of Lebanon and the Greek-American “Halliburton” company on the part of “Israel” will manage the joint fields.
The works that take place in this area shall be under Qatari sponsorship.
Minister of Public Works Ali Hamiyah, who represents Hezbollah in the government, refused to be a member of the committee, stressing that the party told him that it “will not participate in any meeting or direct talks through the minister or through an intermediary related to the file of maritime border demarcation, especially if the committee will meet with American delegations.” ». As strong voices are rising in political and media circles rejecting the content of Hochstein's new offer, questions are increasing in parallel about the significance of presenting this offer during the parliamentary elections scheduled for mid-May, and with the escalation of war in and against Ukraine, and the most prominent skeptical questions:
Does Hochstein's offer imply an implicit settlement of US sanctions imposed on President Aoun's son-in-law, Minister and Representative, Gebran Bassil?
Are some of the authorities aiming to achieve an economic achievement that will generate thousands of millions of dollars for Lebanon as a result of extracting oil and gas from its territorial waters?
Is the settlement envisaged at this time intended to capitalize on it politically and in the media in the upcoming parliamentary elections?
Is it possible to pass this settlement - the deal despite Hezbollah's strong opposition to it?
Why is Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri not represented in the committee tasked with studying Hochstein's proposal and presenting its recommendations regarding it?
- Did Hochstein offer a decreed role in an attempt to drag Lebanon into normalization with "Israel" directly or indirectly?
It is difficult for those concerned to provide convincing answers to these questions in the current difficult stage that Lebanon is going through. However, I have an opinion that I previously made, which constitutes a decent national way out of the problem of demarcation of the maritime borders that Lebanon has been suffering from for years.. How?
Lebanon has ten sectors along the Lebanese coast containing rich oil and gas deposits. It can adopt one of two rewarding investment approaches: Directing
oil and gas exploration in sectors relatively far from the border with occupied Palestine, provided it adheres relentlessly to what the government defines as sovereign lines of the exclusive economic zone in the face of ambitions Israel and who is behind it.
- Commencement of exploration in Blocks 8, 9 and 10 adjacent to the maritime borders with occupied Palestine, where Israel has established offshore facilities to extract oil and gas and threatens to destroy these facilities, especially since the resistance is capable of doing so, if the enemy tries to prevent Lebanon from exploration and investment in its sectors Neighboring. Both approaches secure for Lebanon two goals and two very important interests: protecting its sovereignty over its land and territorial waters, and collecting thousands of millions of dollars from investing oil and gas deposits. It does not tell us that Lebanon suffers from a chronic and severe crisis, and that it does not currently have leaders capable of making fateful decisions, because waiting for a time that has the appropriate conditions and leaders capable of making fateful decisions remains more useful and safer than compromising sovereignty and rights and suffering the curse of history.



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