Dolly Bachaalani wrote in “Al-Diyar”: It is certain that he informed him through the diplomatic channels of his country in Lebanon. And since Hochstein has become aware of Lebanon’s position on his rejection of his latest proposal, and if he is waiting to be officially notified of it, he must be looking for a new proposal to present it to Lebanese officials, in case he decides to continue his mediation following this month of March. They did not demand, affirming the call of the United States of America to continue its efforts to complete the negotiations in a manner that preserves Lebanon’s supreme interest and stability in the region.
Diplomatic circles following up on the maritime demarcation file with the Israeli enemy say that the American mediator revealed to the Lebanese officials that his country is convinced to give Lebanon the disputed triangle, which lies between Lines 1 and 23. However, during his second visit to Beirut on February 8 and 9 last, he showed them a map, known as Hochstein’s map, which shows his “line”, plus a portion of the “Hof’s line”, or rather, which combines “Hof” with the Lebanese 23rd line. But the result was unacceptable for Lebanon, because it gnaws part of its lowest rights in the exclusive economic zone, all the way to line 29.
The circles added: If the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, wants the 23rd line, this means that he would like to add the 370 km2 area that the “Hof Line” granted to the Israeli enemy, over the 490 km2 area that he considered from Lebanon’s share. Noting that the “Hof Line”, which divided the disputed area with an area of 860 km2, was presented to Lebanese officials more than ten years ago, and they rejected it at the time. Currently, Hochstein has responded to the president’s request by offering him a small, triangular “marine piece” (which appears on the accompanying map), whose area does not exceed 81 km2 out of an area of 370 km2, which President Aoun is supposed to be calling for through his announcement. On the adoption of the 23rd line, i.e. in addition to the 490 km2 granted by the “Hof Line” to Lebanon, which makes the area in which Lebanon has the right to drill to be represented by the fully disputed “sea triangle”, while President Aoun did not provide for Hochstein during his meeting with him on February 9 last Which lebanese map corresponding.
As for the “zigzag” or “deviant” line, or the “modified 23-Hof line”, Hochstein drew it on his map, according to the same circles, and it deviates in the middle of an area of 860 km2 upwards in Block 8, and returns to complete its direction at the “Hof Line” ” Himself. It is noted that Hochstein did not preserve Lebanon’s right to the “Qana field” in full, on what was supposed to be the “zigzag line”, but rather left the southern section of it outside the 23rd line, which he did not modify also in Block 9, which would keep it “under dispute”, Or “compromising” by the Israeli enemy, such as the Shebaa Farms, which are still occupied by the “Israeli forces” despite their withdrawal from southern Lebanon in the year 2000. Hochstein did not, therefore, indicate on his map the 29th line demanded by the Lebanese military delegation at the Naqoura table, with the aim of Ensuring Israel’s full right to the Karish field, which completely neutralized it from the “expanded conflict zone”, and did not notice it, as in the southern part of Qana. It is surprising in the “Hockstein Map” that he did not take the position of the Lebanese officials who informed him of their approval of Line 23 with the aim of Lebanon obtaining the entire disputed area within it. Rather, he ignored it and presented his line that combined Line 23 and the “Hof Line”.
Lebanon has not yet informed the American mediator in the indirect negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime border between Lebanon and Israel, Amos Hochstein, the official response to his offer directly…
