The fate of the Lebanon-Israel maritime border deal
As war intensifies, Israel is reconsidering the 2022 maritime agreement with Lebanon. Here is what the deal says, what the law allows, and what is at stake.
The 2022 Lebanon-Israel maritime border agreement is back at the center of regional tensions. Reuters reported on March 15 that Israel’s security cabinet had discussed repealing the deal, although no decision had been announced as of March 17. That matters because the agreement remains one of the few formal understandings reached between Lebanon and Israel. It was brokered by the United States and entered into force on October 27, 2022. The United Nations later registered it as an international agreement under registration number 57582. What the deal actually established The agreement fixed the maritime boundary seaward of the coast and stated that it provides a “permanent and equitable resolution” of the maritime dispute. It also says neither side may submit new coordinates to the UN that contradict the deal unless both sides agree. Under the arrangement, Israel retained control of the Karish field. Lebanon gained the right to pursue exploration in Block 9 and the Qana prospect, while Israel was to be remunerated separately by the Block 9 operator if commercially viable deposits extended across the boundary. Why unilateral cancellation would be difficult The strongest legal point is simple: boundary agreements are treated differently from ordinary political understandings. Article 62 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties says a state cannot invoke a fundamental change of circumstances to terminate or withdraw from a treaty if the treaty establishes a boundary . The deal’s own wording strengthens that position. The text does not describe a temporary arrangement. It explicitly describes the settlement as permanent, and it ties both sides to coordinated UN submissions. That does not mean politics cannot disrupt implementation. It means that, legally, revoking the agreement is far harder than threatening it. Why the deal still matters economically The agreement was meant to reduce risk around offshore gas exploration. In January 2023, Eni and TotalEnergies co