Things are heating up with Israel & Lebanon

Israel to legalize Lebanon gas theft

Amid Israeli efforts to take over Lebanon's gas resources, Tel Aviv has tasked the parliament with ratifying a legislation that would facilitate the process.

Tel Aviv intends to present the Knesset with a law which would make the international waters between Palestine and Lebanon the property of Israel paving way for the seizure of the sea-based gas fields, Naharnet cited Israeli television as saying on Sunday.

"The [Israeli] government is dealing with the discovery of the natural gas fields in the Mediterranean as an Israeli discovery that no one else has a right over," Israeli TV quoted government sources as saying.

"The executive committee in the government and Knesset are working on reaching a law that would not leave room for any Lebanese rights," they said.

Last month, Tel Aviv threatened to use military force to capture a newly-discovered gas field, which is partly situated in Lebanese waters in the Mediterranean and is estimated to contain 15 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had reacted by saying that "Israel is racing to make the case a fait accompli and was quick to present itself as an oil emirate, ignoring the fact that, according to the maps, the deposit extends into Lebanese waters." Prime Minister Saad Hariri had also called the threat a means to "frighten" the Lebanese nation.