Former Likud MK Danny Danon accused on Tuesday Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid of offering major concessions in the agreement between Lebanon and Israel to demarcate the maritime borders.
“These concessions amount to a maximum surrender to Hezbollah,” the Israeli former deputy said.
His comments came amid statements in Tel Aviv and Beirut about a great progress in the Israeli-Lebanese negotiations on demarcating the maritime borders between the two countries and the rights to extract gas.
“Why this rush now?” Danon asked, “Is it because Hassan Nasrallah threatens us? Shall we give up the huge gas reserves because of the Hezbollah threats?”
He then said the negotiations are done in secret without public discussion in the Knesset or the government.
“Lapid is playing a constitutional trick on this issue,” Danon stressed, adding that the PM does not have the ability and experience to manage these negotiations with Lebanon.
Officials close to the negotiations in Tel Aviv had indicated significant Israeli concessions to Lebanon, but most of them supported this step.
Amos Yadlin, the former Head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Division, said Israel was showing flexibility regarding the disputed maritime border with its neighbor.
He said that the government of Israel acted wisely when it made concessions to Lebanon.
“This would reveal the reality of Hezbollah, whether it stands by its country and its people in this economic leap, or does it want to thwart the agreement and inflict heavy losses on Lebanon to serve its leaders in Iran,” Yadlin wrote.
He added that the agreement means opening a new page and new rules of the game with Lebanon. “This is not in the interest of (Hezbollah) and of those setting the party’s policy in Tehran,” Yadlin said.
