Lebanon can give Chris Voss a masterclass on how to say “no,” never split the difference, and get everything he needs in negotiations abroad.
King Kais, Kan’s Arab affairs correspondent for Israel’s Channel 11, translated and presented the presentation through Elias Bou Saab, deputy speaker of the Lebanese parliament, on how Lebanon overnegotiated with Israel and the Americans over the shared maritime border and offshore fuel fields. , without compromising anything, while getting the Israeli-American aspect to compromise on each and every point.
Saab explained in detail on Lebanon’s MTV how it was given to Israel and the US. The U. S. government called new donor Amos Hochstein to give to others, resulting in repeated unilateral Israeli concessions and ultimately Israel’s total capitulation to Hezbollah’s demands, while Lebanon conceded nothing.
Saab describes Hochstein’s first troubles in September, when Hochstein approached them with his new offer and map and told the Lebanese that Israel was not satisfied with Lebanon getting 100% of the disputed maritime territory and fuel depot blocks. Hochstein told Lebanon that Israel needed to get something in return.
Lebanon categorically rejected Hochstein’s statement and offer.
— King Kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) October 29, 2022
Saab describes Hochstein’s initial Israeli concession on September 1, where Hochstein submitted a new bid and map. 23) in exchange for a commitment on the limit of coastal marine buoys.
Hochstein said at the time that this is the last offer.
“Take it or take it,” Saab said, Hochstein told the Lebanese.
In response, Lebanon would leave. And with that bullet spent, Hochstein lost credibility.
Lebanon, Saab said, refused to move the line north and insisted they would have all of Block 8.
In addition, Lebanon added that it had rejected this offer until Hochstein clarified what it meant across the boundary of the coastline.
It should be noted that the buoy line has been the de facto maritime border between Lebanon and Israel for decades and the Lebanese have never dared to cross it, so in fact Lebanon would not give up anything it has, had it yielded on this point (which, as you will soon see, they did not).
“Take it or leave it” Hochstein returned with new maps of the coastal buoy. There is a difference of 35 meters between the Israeli point 31 (north) and the Lebanese point 18 (south), due to the war of words of the coastal rocks used as boundary markers.
Saab explains that Israel did not need to commit to this 35-meter segment because there is a popular Israeli tourist site there (the old Rosh Hanikra railway tunnels demanded through Hezbollah). Hochstein explained that Israel would pose a security risk to the tourist site if Lebanon could now enter this 35-meter maritime zone that would allow Lebanese ships (also known as Hezbollah) to be directly in front of the Israeli tourist site.
Saab explained that Lebanon has had this its territory for at least 60 years.
Saab explained to listeners that Lebanon had two goals, to maintain the b1 border point (the southernmost Lebanese claim on the coast) and to ensure that Lebanon can enter the overland domain over the railway tunnel, which it considers its territory.
Saab says they watched the Israeli game and were insulted and also turned down this offer.
Israel and Hochstein then continued to negotiate with each other and told Lebanon to simply forget about this point of the war of words (which has not yet been resolved), and that they would start negotiating from an extra point on the coast, which would be the idea of Israel and Hochstein. much less difficult to negotiate with the Lebanese.
Saab says Lebanon has rejected the offer.
— King Kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) October 29, 2022
Saab goes on to say that he remained grumpy and refused to leave Line 23, and then added that Line 29 (even further south) was still an option that Lebanon could and would demand.
As a risk of increased pressure, the Americans who showed how desperate they were for a deal, Saab added more risks and conditions.
To everyone in Israel, it was clear that Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid was seeking to conclude the deal before the next election, and that the U. S. was seeking to conclude the deal before the next election, and that the U. S. was seeking to conclude the deal before the next election. The US had to conclude the deal before former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office, which would derail the liquidation.
Saab adds that not only did he never use the word “negotiations,” but he said Lebanese President Hochstein would not finish his term before signing an order unilaterally designating Line 29 as Lebanese territory, deserves that to happen. it would legitimize any act of aggression through Hezbollah up to Line 29 in the eyes of the Lebanese.
Saab describes this as his last ball in the room that he would use at the end, and that line 29 and the proverbial ball remained an option on the table until the last moment.
The effects we all know.
Lebanon was given everything it asked for until Line 23, which was its new starting position. The precise border point of the sea coast has not yet been resolved and it is the issue of new long-term deliveries, this will never happen. Lebanon still claims ownership of railway tunnels to which it originally had no access. Israel has lost access to all offshore resources in the EEZ domain it claimed in the past. Lebanon can send ships into Israeli territory near the Kana fuel field, in addition to physically drilling and extracting fuel. Kana’s EEZ within Israel’s EEZ, and Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah now claims there are another 2. 5 square miles of marine territory not liberated by Lebanon, leaving the standoff still open, as Hezbollah did with UN Blue Line and Sheba Farms, which ultimately culminated in the Second Lebanon War.
And that, my friends, is a master class in how never to negotiate in the Middle East, or else.
Printed by: https://www. jewishpress. com/news/middle-east/lebanon/step-by-step-how-lebanon-out-negotiated-israel-amos-hochstein-and-yair-lapid/2022/10 /30/