Lebanese MP: Ukraine war sped up border deal with Israel

war in Ukraine and rising demand for natural gas around world helped speed up a U.S.-mediated maritime border deal between Lebanon and Israel, a prominent Lebanese legislator allied with militant Hezbollah group said Monday. agreement is expected to help bring stability to eastern Mediterranean.

Gebran Bassil, who is under sanctions by U.S., also told Associated Press in an interview at his office that “it would be a crazy act” if caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati does not form a new government before six-year term of President Michel Aoun ends Oct. 31. Disagreements between Aoun and Mikati have delayed formation of a new Cabinet since May 15, following parliamentary elections. Since n, government has been in a caretaker capacity.

Parliament failed during two sessions in recent weeks to elect a president and it is highly unlikely that a new he of state will be voted in to country’s top job before Aoun’s term ends, leaving country without a president.

Bassil is Aoun’s son-in-law and hes Christian nationalist Free Patriotic Movement founded by president and has yet to endorse a candidate. Bassil, who hes a 21-member parliamentary bloc in 128-member legislature, said that despite media reports, he does not see himself as a candidate.

“We do not need in dition to our financial and economic crisis, a political crisis that splits people on how to deal with government,” Bassil said about possibility of government taking over once Aoun leaves office. He ded that not forming a Cabinet will le to “constitutional chaos.”

“We will not accept that such a government runs country. This is a Cabinet that did not win a vote of confidence and lacks constitutional legitimacy,” Bassil said.

Israel and Lebanon both have accepted U.S.-mediated sea border deal following months of negotiations and a signing ceremony is expected along two countries’ border by end of month.

“Although this agreement is not a normalization process with Israel, but it helps us, you know, to restore more stability in region where we need to attract investors,” Bassil said. Lebanon is in grip of its worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history.

In July, Israeli military shot down three unarmed drones belonging to Lebanon’s Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah flying over Karish field. At time, Lebanon said it was in a disputed area. Hezbollah’s leer has issued warnings to Israel over maritime dispute, saying that “any arm” that reaches out to steal Lebanon’s wealth “will be cut off.”

“I think that equation established with strength or force of Hezbollah and threat to use it is what helped,” Bassil said about heavily armed group that fought Israel to a draw in 2006.

Lebanon hopes that demarcating maritime borders will pave way for gas exploration to help lift it out of its crippling economic crisis, while Israel wants to exploit gas reserves and hopes deal will reduce risk of war with Hezbollah.

Bassil, a former energy minister, said deal with Israel should le to Lebanon launching negotiations with Syria to solve dispute of more than 900 square kilometers (347 square miles) between two countries as well as reviewing Beirut’s maritime borders with island of Cyprus.

“It is gas era and Lebanon should not be outside of it,” Bassil said, ding that demand for gas around world triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since late February helped seal deal.

“We h guarantees, clearly, from U.S. and also from France and Total that once this is done ... Total as block operator will restart its petroleum activities offshore Lebanon,” Bassil said. He was referring to French oil giant Total that hopes to start drilling in block number 9 along border once agreement is signed.

In 2017, Lebanon approved licenses for an international consortium including France’s Total, Italy’s ENI and Russia’s Novatek to move forward with offshore oil and gas development for two of 10 blocks in Mediterranean Sea. Novatek recently withdrew and officials, including Energy Minister Walid Fay have said that Qatar is interested in filling that gap.

Bassil, who has served as Lebanon’s foreign and telecommunications minister, said he was sanctioned in 2020 by U.S. because of his alliance with Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by Washington.

U.S. government designation, under 2012 Magnitsky Act, said Bassil was “at forefront of corruption” in Lebanon, was involved in “misappropriation of state assets” and “ expropriation of private assets for personal gain.”

Bassil said during interview that he is appealing case in U.S. by contacting Treasury Department demanding that details of his file be me public.