Israel’s High Court rejects petitions against Lebanon maritime deal

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel’s High Court on Sunday rejected petitions seeking annulment of a US-brokered maritime deal with Lebanon, paving the way for the agreement to be approved, according to local media.

“The High Court ruling will allow us to advance the important agreement on the maritime border with Lebanon in the coming days,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement cited by The Jerusalem Post newspaper.

“This is a good and correct agreement that has positive security, political and economic implications for the entire region,” he added.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered deal to demarcate their maritime border earlier this month.

The Israeli Cabinet is expected to vote on the maritime agreement on Thursday. The Cabinet vote was set for two weeks after the agreement was submitted to the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) for review.

Four right-wing Israeli groups had filed petitions against the deal, saying Prime Minister Yair Lapid was giving away "sovereign" Israeli territory, which requires parliamentary approval.

Lebanon and Israel have been locked in a dispute over a maritime area of 860 square kilometers (332 square miles) rich in gas and oil, according to maps sent by both countries to the UN in 2011.

Negotiations over the territory in the Mediterranean Sea, which contain part of the Karish gas field and Qana, a prospective gas field, have been ongoing since 2020.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report