By Rachel Avraham
Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steineitz recently reported that Lebanon has now changed its position seven times and is contradicting its initial position regarding negotiations to finalize the maritime border between Lebanon and Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported: “Whoever wants prosperity in our region and seeks to safely develop natural resources must adhere to the principle of stability and settle the dispute along the lines that were submitted by Israel and Lebanon at the United Nations.”
Nevertheless, despite the obstacles that stand in Israel’s way regarding establishing an agreed upon maritime border between Israel and Lebanon, former Israeli Communication Minister Ayoob Kara believes that Israel should continue the dialogue for “the problem with the gas on the beach between Israel and Lebanon is not going to stop there. I think they will finish their border dispute with Israel. If we find a solution, Hezbollah will not like it but will accept it and if they do not, from an objective perspective inside Lebanon, they will lose their legitimacy.”
According to Kara, this is a grand opportunity for Israel “to negotiate for peace because the Lebanese like the Gulf states do not have any bilateral problem with Israel. Within a few months, I hope that we will find ourselves in a position where we can begin a new peace process with Lebanon. Of course, if this occurs, Iran’s lifeline to the regime in Syria and to its other proxies throughout the Middle East will be hampered.”
