Israeli Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara told Prime Minister Yair Lapid that the proposed maritime border agreement with Lebanon could be approved by the security cabinet, but then changed her mind and said it would need to be voted on by the full cabinet and then brought before the Knesset.
According to the report, Baharav-Miara stated her initial position orally to Prime Minister Yair Lapid, but then changed her stance which was not aligned with that of the Justice Ministry.
The maneuvering came to light as five of Israel’s seven deputy attorneys general were working to formulate a formal position; however, while they were doing so they discovered via the press that Baharav-Miara had already conveyed her original decision to the government.
In any case, the American mediator’s “final” draft agreement is unlikely to be submitted for approval anytime soon, after Beirut nixed the proposal and demanded amendments to the text.
Lapid on Sunday rejected the proposed changes.
The development follows revelations that Jerusalem’s lead negotiator in the U.S.-mediated talks with Beirut quit last week due to disagreements with the Prime Minister’s Office over how the process was being handled.
Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Lapid of caving in to Hezbollah’s demands with regard to the potential agreement.
