New PRO Memo: Israel-Lebanon maritime agreement to prompt working relations
Israel and Lebanon stand to gain much more than just new maritime borders after their recent deal. (access now with a free trial)
US-mediated negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, underway for months, appear to have reached a successful end and the provisionally accepted border agreement most likely will go into place in the coming weeks.
What do the two sides get from the agreement? The Israelis receive the ability to proceed with full exploitation of the natural resource base in their northernmost offshore, and more importantly, respite from a continuing cycle of violence on its northern border. Lebanon gets the opportunity to test its best potential for a different and independent energy sector, and perhaps even a different economy if large natural gas resources are proven and can be developed.
