Lebanon on Jul 11 responded angrily to Israel’s proposed maritime boundary, calling it an act of “aggression,” as a dispute builds over huge natural gas and oil reserves beneath the sea. Lebanon has submitted its own sea boundary proposal to the UN, and Israel’s Cabinet on July 10 approved a conflicting proposal that it is to send to the world body. The two countries are staking claims for a demarcation line in the Mediterranean Sea, where significant energy reserves have been found in recent years. Israel recently discovered two gas fields off its coast, and energy companies believe other reserves could be found there.
In most cases, countries negotiate their maritime border, as Israel did several months ago with Cyprus. Because Israel and Lebanon have no diplomatic relations, the proposals are to go to the United Nations. It is unclear what role the UN would play in determining the border. After Israel withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000, following an 18-year occupation, the UN drew the land border between the two countries, though the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah disputes part of it.