Lebanese protest Israel vessel at disputed gas field

NAQOURA, Lebanon — Hundreds of people and several lawmakers protested on Saturday in southern Lebanon against Israel moving a gas production vessel into an offshore field partly claimed by Beirut.

The demonstration comes just days before the US envoy mediating maritime border talks between the two neighbours is expected in Lebanon, and after the ship operated by London-listed Energean Plc. arrived in the Karish gas field last week.

Several hundred people waved Lebanese and Palestinian flags at Lebanon's border town of Naqoura to protest Israel's claim on the area where the Karish field is located, an AFP correspondent said.

“We absolutely refuse to neglect Lebanon’s maritime resources, which belong to all Lebanese,” said lawmaker Firas Hamdan, reading a joint statement from 13 independent parliamentarians, most of whom were newly elected last month.

Lebanon and Israel have no diplomatic relations and are separated by a UN-patrolled border.

Lebanon’s president and prime minister have condemned Israel for moving the vessel into the Karish field, and have invited US envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut for mediation.

Hochstein is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Monday for a two-day visit, according to the US State Department.

Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group this week warned Energean against proceeding with its activities.

Lebanon and Israel resumed negotiations over their maritime frontier in 2020, but the process was stalled by Beirut’s claim that the map used by the United Nations in the talks needed modifying.

Lebanon initially demanded 860 square kilometres  of territory in the disputed maritime area but then asked for an additional 1,430 square kilometres, including part of Karish.

The independent lawmakers said in Saturday’s statement that they supported Lebanon’s claim to part of Karish.