When the Lebanese drill on their side, they will access the same gas fields that also extend below Israeli territory. Just like the Cubans are getting oil from fields that also might be described as Floridian. Both countries will need to learn to share.

This are deep water fields and who is Israel going to sell to? capacity is higher than demand right now. Gas is sold locally or by pipeline, where oil is sold globally. It will 8 to 15yrs before these fields begin to produce, while Cyprus and Iraq fields maybe producing by then, with Jordan build reactors to use their large uranium supply they recently found.

There is no official maritime border between Israel and Lebanon. Moreover, Israel undertook the geological testing and the underwater exploration -- not an inexpensive process -- and can claim a successful result for its efforts. There is no automatic right of sharing when only ONE country is responsible for the find. It belongs to the discoverer, no matter where the natural gas field extends. For example, the North Sea exploration was undertaken by Norway and Scotland (and England) and they therefore shared in the exploration expense and they share in the rewards of the discovery. On the other hand, the oil fields off the coast of Louisiana which stretch well into Mexican waters belong exclusively to the explorers and finders, which did NOT include Mexico. Lebanon has no right of claim; no matter where the gas fields extend. The actual exploration and the drilling rigs are well within Israeli territorial waters; Lebanon never expressed an interest in joint exploration and expense-sharing with Israel, and they have no right to demand a share of the find. That accrues exclusively to Israel, who shouldered the entirety of the exploration expenses. That's just how it is. The law that prevails in this case is similar to the law of salvage. If you find a wreck of an old Spanish galleon, whether within a country's territorial waters or in international waters, it belongs exclusively to the finder. Remember the ATOCHA? That was found well within U.S. territorial waters. Finders, keepers. It applied to Mel Fisher then and it applies to Israel now.

still posting you israel hating rhetoric mark. learn to stay on haaretz which loves bigots and anti israel hating jews like you. the gas is ours. you and your comments mean nothing. you are a terrorist sympathizer that is all. go away now.

this ploy by the hezboland crooks was so obvious... look at who it is that stole an entire country. and now they want everything israel owns. how so predictable.

Israel is drilling in a perimeter that is in front of Haifa not infront of Lebanon, in any case the one's that have to say something will be the Cyprus Goverment and they already signed a deal with Israel. The arabs want to degilimitize Israel at any cost. mmmm Would the States share their OIl or Gas fields with the Cubans or the Mexicans I really doubt it . On the other hand we have to share what with Lebanon? there are clear maritime borders. Let the lebanese drill on their side and maybe they will also find gas. Until Israel announced the discovery Lebanon never made even the intention of drilling of it's coasts. Now that Israel found something is also theirs ah! F..K them

Hezbollah and not UN ONLY can. Just Give Hezbullah a Chance or say bye bye to your gas from now.

The Tamar field is expected to commence production in 2012. The newly-discovered Leviathan field is expected to commence production in 2015. As usual, you have no knowledge of the topics you address. By the way, the EU and many independent entities in Europe have already negotiated contracts with Israel to acquire natural gas. Besides, even were the market to be weak, Israel could simply revamp its infrastructure to accommodate the new gas finds.

suddenly it became a Lebanese field.

but one country (lebanon) has done nothing in investments into this drilling. nothing. has not spent billions in exploring this territory, has spent no money in finding this territory. why would it have any rights to share it??? once they start exploring on their own, they may have the right to demand to share it. so far, the entire exploration is done IN ISRAELI WATER ACCORDING TO THE UN WHICH JUST THREW THE BALL IN LEBANON'S COURT AND REFUSED THEIR DEMAND YESTERDAY.

Salma, have you reached beyond your complete idiocy long enough to appreciate the fact that (i) the gas discovered in the Leviathan field belongs to Israel, and Israel only; (ii) the gas discovered in the Tamar field (the earlier find) is shared with Cyprus, and Cyprus only; (iii) Lebanon will not reap any benefit from an exploration and discovery in which they did not participate and in which they did not share the cost; (iv) Hezbollah is a terrorist organizations whose leadership is about to be indicted by the United Nations; and (v) if both Lebanon and Hezbollah continue to behave stupidly, they will incur Israel's wrath and the consequences for both Lebanon and Hezbollah will be severe. Existential, even. The only things joke-worthy in your entire post are that you appear to believe (i) that the United Nations has jurisdiction over a natural gas find paid for by Israel and made in Israeli territorial waters; and (ii) that Israel will allow Hezbollah to assert itself in Lebanon for much longer.

David Lubin of citi bank released the financial report , of course confirmed by Leumi and i received a thread from some oil- gas lawyers acting for the Local Energy Market ass holes. They tried that once now they doing to me again. They better be nice to me or i join their competitors. Its hard to be jewish ! Anyway how good is the admirality enforcement laws should a ship colusion happen...seems like there will be drama on admirality jurisdiction and it si going to be a joke when drafting admirality writs and service.. caveats, JID, order for slae dterminations of priority appraisement an sales :-) anyway we jews still make money :-)

Hizballah. This can be decided in a peace treaty: we give the Lebanese some of the gas, and in return they kick off Hizballah. Fair enough?

If Lebanese government doesn't drop the Rafik Hariri investigation or else they will carry out a coup. If Israel doesn't accept the gas belongs to Lebanon then they will start a war to take it which they have threatend to do in the past. Hizbollah are the maffia of the Middle East and if we give them ISRAELS gas today to avoid a war then next time they want something they will know all they need to do is threaten a war and we will say ok ok no need to fight over this you win. If they take it to the UN General Assembly then they will almost certainly suceseed in getting their resolution but that is not binding. If they go to the Security Council Obama will have no choice but to use the US veto otherwise it looks like he is doing deals with terrorists. There is also big money involved & so the west would rather all that gas was controled by Israel than unstable Lebanon.

Just for reference, Cuba, the entire island nation, is within the 200 mile limit claimed by the United States. In other words, the entire country falls within US territorial waters. AND the United States also does not have agreements with Cuba on lots of stuff, like offshore resources and maritime borders. We don't get along well with Fidel. China, under Cuban contract, is drilling and operating oil and gas wells off the northern coast of Cuba. What is extracted is Cuban, not Floridian. The drilling even violates US policy and law and Florida law, all designed to protect the Eastern Gulf and Florida's beaches. Yet the US is not at war with Cuba nor with China. Nor have we attacked their wells or drilling platforms. And not even some of our lunatic politicians have suggested doing so. Not even Ros-Lehtinen or the Cuban American community of South Florida has suggested conflict with Cuba over the issue.

The 200-mile limit refers to an exclusive economic zone. Twelve-miles is the norm for territorial waters. There is also an additional twelve mile limit known as the contiguous zone. Didn't you know that? I guess not, otherwise you would not have launched yourself on that silly jeremiad about Cuba.

They can't even pass a law that would allow them to do exploratory tests, let alone actually drill and extract gas. They snooze, they lose. And because they are a disarray of sectarian groups and terrorists wrapped up in a Cedar flag is no reason Israel shouldn't move forward on th gas find in THEIR territory which they worked hard for AND paid dearly for. This is just another case of Arabs being too lazy to do something for themselves but all too willing to cry for intl pressure to help them reap the benefits of other people's hard work and investment. BTW, Noble Gas (Norway) did preliminary exploratory tests and found the Israeli gas fields do not drift into Lebanese territory. AND (I love this one), the maps provided by Lebanon actually give MORE maritime territory to Israel than Israel was even claiming. As BA Barakus says "I love it when a plan comes together".

Should be directed "To: No. 20." Apologies to all.

but very doubtful they will succeed. What are they going to do, blow up Israel's rig because they sucked up all of Lebanon's resources to amass weapons rather than drilling equipment. I think a US commander said it best to the Lebanese...if Israel used its full military might, it will lay waste to the entire country of Lebanon in 1 hour. Sweet.

"I love it when a plan comes together" - Col Hannibal Smith "I PITY THE FOOL ... " - B.A. Barakus (as in I PITY THE FOOL that tries to take ISRAEL's natural gas find away - especially after that fool invested no time, effort, nor money and most especially if the find is in Israel's territorial waters)

The Lebanese didn't search, didn't work, didn't discover, didn't risk, didn't invest, didn't take the initiative, didn't show any ingenuity or industriousness, didn't earn any reward. They just sat back, put their feet up, idled away their time while Israel toiled. Now they expect to reap what Israel has sown. What chutzpah! Lebanon is the lazy grasshopper demanding what the busy ant built.

As a Brazilian Christian, from Lebanese ascendence, I regret Lebanon, today, is not an independent country. She is dominated by fundamentalist muslims, whose aim, for Israel, is her destruction. Then, I can not desagree from the above messages sent by Jewish brothers and sisters. But I hope a better future, when the Cedar and the David Star will march together in the scope ot their mutual interests. Luiz Felipe Haddad.

All they have to do is ask and we would aid them in regaining their freedom. We won't do it for them, but we would be very much on their side and would be the best friends they could ever hope for if they were free.

lebanon and the others need to learn to invest in equipment for the discovery or natural gas and oil instead of investing there money in missiles and bombs... they would have natural gas and oil to , the jews could find cow s*!t tomorrow and if it had value lebanon would claim it belongs to them......may the lord forever bless the state of israel

Egypt is illegally stealing Ethiopian Nile Water resources and funding armed liberation movements in the Horn of Africa (including Al Shabab and pirates) Ethiopia must divert the Nile River in order to counter this threat. Egypt and Sudan must pay for their crimes in the Horn of Africa and Middle East.