Israel’s Energy Minister Karin Elharrar welcomed this morning a proposed agreement presented Sunday, Oct. 2, by American mediator Amos Hochstein, for the demarcation of the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon. 

The draft adopts Line 23, proposed by Lebanon, and offers Lebanon most of the disputed maritime area. Israel gets to keep its Karish natural gas rig. Lebanon will be able to set up its own rig nearby, in zone Kana owned partly by Lebanon and partly by Israel. Israel will receive part of the revenues from the gas extracted from Kana by the French TotalEnergies company.

Elharrar said, "There is an advantage to Lebanon also having a rig. This will calm the region and prevent Lebanon from receiving gas and energy from Iran." She also said that extraction from Karish, yet to be launched, does not depend on the agreement. "Gas production depends on technical matters of connecting the rig to the underwater gas pipeline. This is not in dispute and was not part of the negotiations."

Israel has yet to officially approve the plan. It is not clear yet whether a government decision will suffice, or whether it would require Knesset approval. That being said, Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz both responded positively to the proposal.