Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the US-mediated agreement demarcating a disputed maritime border with Lebanon will be signed on Thursday and make Israel “a major gas supplier to Europe.”
He described the agreement as “historic” because not only it was signed with Lebanon but also because the calm it ensures will allow his government to pump huge quantities of gas and become a major gas supplier to Europe in the near future.
Lapid was speaking during a meeting with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte. They held an expanded meeting, which included Israel’s Energy Minister Karine Elharrar and professional teams from the two countries.
According to a statement from Lapid’s office, the PMs discussed means of cooperation in the field of energy between Israel and Europe to help it in its current energy crisis.
Talks also touched on ways to promote bilateral ties in various fields, including climate and artificial intelligence.
Rutte arrived in Tel Aviv in an official two-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, with a focus on increasing economic cooperation between the two countries in the fields of energy, water technologies, agriculture and food security.
Israel’s relations with NATO and the European Union were also tackled. Israel said it was keen on improving these ties and advancing them to reach partnership and possibly even membership levels.
Lapid said the Netherlands played a key role in helping Israel return to the cultural cooperation agreement with the European Union.
He underlined their level of partnership and stressed the importance of working together to find medium and long-term solutions to green and renewable energies.
Rutte also met with Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Talks tackled the situation in Iran, as well as other regional and international security issues.
They discussed the maritime border deal between Israel and Lebanon with Gantz warning that Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah are a threat to Europe’s security.
