Israel dispels the “positive” atmosphere over the border agreement with Lebanon
Yesterday, the Lebanese commemorated the second anniversary of the explosion in the port of Beirut, amid great sadness over the victims, who numbered more than two hundred, and the thousands of wounded and homes that were destroyed.
The political leaders and religious scholars who spoke on the occasion expressed their criticism of obstructing the investigation under the influence of political pressures that tied the hands of the judicial investigator, Tariq Al-Bitar…
Yesterday, an additional part of the cracked wheat sheds collapsed in the port, coinciding with the arrival of the protesters’ marches to its surroundings to commemorate the anniversary, and faces turned red like blood that bled on the afternoon of August 4, 2020.
Banners were raised in front of the Beirut Palace of Justice, waiting for a march calling for justice. One of the protesters shouted, “You won’t kill us twice,” while the loudspeaker was broadcasting Majida El Roumi’s song, “My People, I Defy Injustice.” And at three in the afternoon yesterday, the demonstration started towards the statue of the expatriate in exchange for the doomed dumps. Some have raised a banner calling for an international investigation, and others have denounced the political authority’s complete control over the judiciary. The anger was accompanied by a collective denunciation expressed by cries saying: “Those convicted of killing Beirut have been re-elected. We will not forget. Popular pressure will expose your maneuvers.”
On the other hand, Israel squandered the positive atmosphere that had previously spread by talking about great progress in the Israeli-Lebanese negotiations on the demarcation of the maritime borders, with American mediation, and approaching an agreement before next September.
Political sources in Tel Aviv stated that the “agreement is far”, as Israel has not yet developed a final proposal regarding borders and profit sharing, and revealed that there are Israeli demands related to security needs, which must be responded to in order to move forward.
When one of the security officials was asked what security needs he intended, he replied: “Israel prefers an independent Lebanese gas platform. If they have a platform, we can target them if they target our platform in the Karish field.”
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