Israel’s security cabinet voted on Wednesday in favor of a maritime and gas agreement with Lebanon that was mediated by the United States. The issue will now go to the full Cabinet for approval. It will be submitted to the Knesset for review, but the Cabinet has yet to decide whether the legislature will vote on the issue. Wednesday’s vote concluded a session in which the various aspects of the proposed agreement were discussed, which involved senior members of the Israeli military.
The cabinet voted in favor of a summary of the agreement that was formulated by Prime Minister, Yair Lapid. The summary states, “There is importance and urgency in reaching the maritime agreement between Israel and Lebanon at this time. The members of the Security Cabinet express their support for the Government of Israel to advance the agreement.” All the security cabinet (formerly known as the Ministerial Committee on National Security Affairs) members voted in support of Lapid’s summary except for Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, who abstained. Among those who voted in favor was alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Shaked’s former political partner.
