Israeli Minister Addresses Lebanese President on Twitter

W460

Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz addressed President Michel Aoun on Twitter on Monday.

“Lebanese President Michel Aoun, first of all, despite the current state of relations between our two countries, I would like to wish the Lebanese people not only a happy Independence Day, but also a speedy recovery from the crisis you are going through,” tweeted Steinitz.

On the maritime demarcation talks and Lebanon denying claims it changed its stance seven times, Steinitz tweeted: “Unfortunately, it seems you don’t know all the facts about this matter because the Lebanese side changed its position on the maritime border many times during the last 15 years.”

Steinitz added, again addressing Aoun: “I am confident that if we had met face to face in one of the European countries to conduct open or secret negotiations, we would have had a good chance to solve the maritime demarcation dispute once and for all.”

He concluded: “I am enjoying our dialogue on Twitter these days about the maritime border negotiations.”

On Friday, the Presidency’s press office issued a statement and shrugged off as “baseless” Steinitz’s claim, a day earlier, that Lebanon has changed its stance “seven times.”

Lebanon and Israel, which remain technically at war, opened negotiations on the border dispute under U.S. and U.N. auspices last month to clear the way for offshore oil and gas exploration.

They have been negotiating based on a map registered with the United Nations in 2011, which shows an 860-square-kilometer (330-square-mile) patch of sea as being disputed.

But Lebanon considers that map to have been based on wrong estimates.

Aoun's tweet on Thursday confirms that Lebanon is now demanding an additional 1,430 square kilometers (552 square miles) of sea further south, which includes part of Israel's Karish gas field, said Lebanese energy expert Laury Haytayan.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 7
Thumb kanaanljdid 23 November 2020, 19:53

It is obvious that Israel and Israelis want peace with Lebanon, but Lebanon (and some retarded Lebanese) rulers don't want.

Missing arturo 23 November 2020, 20:08

Good to see Aoun and Israel getting along so well. UAE, Bahrain, Sudan ..... Lebanon?

Thumb kanaanljdid 23 November 2020, 20:24

Let's sing in Hebrew and Lebanese, canaanites brother tongues : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsnHg2_4ob0

Missing B.K.L 24 November 2020, 08:03

Lol

Missing B.K.L 24 November 2020, 08:03

Ahbal

Missing phillipo 24 November 2020, 12:25

Just for interests sakes, how many Lebanese civilians have been killed by Hizballah and other terrorists, and how many innocent civilians have been killed by Israel.
I think you all know the correct answer, but do nothing about it.

Default-user-icon Rat (Guest) 24 November 2020, 17:00

The problem has never been with the Jewish faith but with the zionist movement and calling all zionists "jews" is both ignorant and insulting, just like calling Muslims ISIS followers, Jewish people are not all Israeli,there are Lebanese jews and even Iranian jews, the problem has never been a religious one but a backwards racist elitist ideology known as zionism which does not represent the Jewish people no matter how much they claim and wish it to be...fundamentalism is the enemy of every sane peaceful society and peace will come when both extremist zionism and fundamental extremist Islam are in the garbage of history where they belong... 90% of people, regardless of religion just want to live in peace, sadly the 10% that don't keep feeding each other and sabotaging any chance for real peace... There is a difference between peace and surrender..