Israel’s High Court Approves Maritime Deal With Lebanon

Israel’s High Court of Justice on Sunday rejected petitions against the maritime border deal with Lebanon, as the U.S.-mediated agreement is expected to be signed by the end of this week.  

Lebanon is waiting on the arrival of the U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein ahead of the potential signing. As Israel and Lebanon do not have diplomatic relations and are officially at war, a traditional signing protocol won’t be arranged.

Wednesday is the first day the government is able to ratify the proposal following a two-week parliamentary review period. 

Last week, Israel’s Chief Justice Esther Hayut, Justice Uzi Vogelman and Justice Noam Sohlberg heard arguments on the issue. They found petitions against the deal doubtful, citing the government's claims that there were “urgent security, diplomatic and economic reasons” for approving the agreement before the upcoming elections on November 1. 

Several Israeli politicians, including Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu, criticized the country's Prime Minister Yair Lapid for rushing into signing the agreement without bringing it to Israel's parliament for approval or holding a referendum on the issue as the deal would see Israel giving up a part of its territorial waters. Lapid in turn praised the accord as an “exceptionally beneficial agreement for Israel, its economy, and security.”