Envoy: US May Mediate Israel-Lebanon Border Dispute

Facts

• At the end of a two-day visit to Lebanon, senior White House adviser Amos Hochstein said that the US might help mediate the border dispute between Israel and Lebanon, building on the 2022 delineation of maritime borders between the two nations.¹
• Hochstein helped broker last year's deal and has said that he visited border areas to 'learn more' from the Lebanese. His next step will be to hear Israeli concerns to determine whether it's the 'right time' to push for a land border resolution, adding that he's 'optimistic.'²
• Israel and Lebanon have experienced decades of conflict and maintain no official diplomatic relations. In 2000, the UN established the 'blue line' as a border between the two, an ongoing source of tension.³
• The Lebanese caretaker foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib has said that Hochstein will be in contact with Israel and that if both sides agree, the US will step in to mediate. Tensions between Israel and Lebanon have flared this summer, with Habib saying a border deal could end those tensions.⁴
• The maritime agreement helped Israel and Lebanon, in the grips of economic malaise, explore offshore gas exploration, with operations at a drilling rig off Lebanon's coast set to begin soon.²
• Lebanon has been without a president since last October, adding to the financial crisis and instability.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Associated Press, ³France 24, ⁴Reuters and ⁵ABC News.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Tablet Magazine. By intervening in the Israel-Lebanon conflict, the US has effectively disregarded all of Israel's security interests in this dispute. Chasing after a PR-friendly agreement has led to the US protecting Lebanon and the terror groups that they harbor, exposing Israel to danger. The interests of Israel and the US are not aligned in this matter, with Israel now facing the threat of an emboldened Hezbollah alone.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Washington Post. This agreement could finally settle one of the Middle East's longest-standing disputes, with the prospect of peace being something all sides should be excited about. After the breakthrough maritime agreement, the momentum could be carried over to a land border deal. The move could help Lebanon on the world stage, aid in Israel's security, and avert a new conflict. Both sides must seize this new opportunity.