US to mediate talks between Israel and Lebanon regarding longstanding maritime dispute

Israel is scheduled to take part in talks with Lebanon in October in an effort to resolve a long-standing maritime dispute between the two countries. According to reports, the Israeli delegation for the talks will be led by Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, the United States will be mediating the talks between the two countries.

US mediating talks between two hostile nations

As per reports, Israel is technically in a state of war and has no diplomatic relations with Lebanon. For years US diplomats have been acting as mediators between Israel and Lebanon in an effort to resolve their dispute ad to get the two countries to engage in direct talks with one another. The dispute between the two countries is regarding 860 square kilometres (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea which is claimed by both Lebanon and Israel. Both countries aim to develop new gas fields in these areas.

Lebanon is currently gripped by the economic crisis, especially following a large blast at Beirut port last month which left 200 people dead. Due to this, the country is eager to settle the dispute and secure offshore energy resources. Any direct talks between Israel and another Arab country will be considered a huge win for the Trump administration following the peace deal signed between Israel and two other Arab nations- the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

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The Peace deal between Israel and UAE and Bahrain was signed on September 15 in Washington. With he deal normalizing the relations between these countries the UAE and Bahrain have become the third and fourth Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan.

The White House continues to seek more Arab support for the normalisation of ties with Israel and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who accompanied the Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi for formally finalising UAE-Israel ties, indicated that other Arab countries could soon follow the suit. Meanwhile, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo has also said that the deal has been a boon to peace and regional stability as it heralds a new era.

(With AP inputs, Image: AP)

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