US ready to facilitate Lebanon-Israel maritime border talks
Undersecretary for Political Affairs David Hale said the United States is willing to mediate resumed talks between the hostile neighbors.
The United States is ready to mediate maritime talks between Lebanon and Israel that stalled in the waning months of the Trump administration, a senior State Department official said Thursday.
“America stands ready to facilitate negotiations on the maritime boundary between Lebanon and Israel,” Undersecretary for Political Affairs David Hale said during remarks at Lebanon’s presidential palace in Baabda.
“These negotiations have potential to unlock significant economic benefits for Lebanon. And this is all the more critical against the backdrop of the severe economic crisis the country is facing,” Hale said.
Lebanon and Israel are still technically at war, but in early October, the two sides met for US-mediated talks aimed at reaching an agreement over an 860-square-kilometer (534-square-mile) stretch of the Mediterranean Sea. The negotiations on the disputed waters, which are believed to be rich in gas and oil, stalled in November.
