Lebanese critics of the negotiated agreement to end the maritime border dispute with Israel, claim it constitutes a recognition of the southern neighbor by the Hezbollah group.
Samy Gemayel, a Christian parliament member who is a known critic of Hezbollah, says he agree with the need to establish a clear border between the two countries, but believes it has come at a "convenient timing for Hezbollah, which was in negotiations with Israel," he said.
"Hezbollah controls all three branches (president, government, and parliament).These were in fact, indirect negotiations between Hezbollah and Israel under the guise of Lebanon and that is what Israel wanted."
Lebanese journalist Mohamad Barakat claims that this is a normalization agreement for Hezbollah.
"If any of us dare express criticism that is deemed out of place by someone, we would be immediately blamed for cooperation with the enemy, but that does not strop them [Hezbollah] from making a deal with the Israelis," said Barakat. "This is the height of audacity, one side is making an agreement with Israel while accusing other people of cooperation."
Media outlets published caricatures with messages condemning the deal. Politicians, journalists and citizens expressed their criticism on social media platforms.
Most critics focused on "Line 29", used for demarcation of the border, arguing that Lebanon handed to Israel, the Karish gas field.
This clause essentially means Israel can immediately start producing natural gas, while Lebanon still has to locate natural gas fields before it can start extracting and benefiting from the resource.
Paula Yacoubian, a member of the Lebanese parliament, is a main critic of the deal and claims that it is her country's defeat and that the agreement must be submitted to parliament for approval.
"The Israelis received the treasury and we were left with a lottery ticket," she said.
Yacoubian is also critical of the compensation that TotalEnergies will pay Israel out of the future revenue of from the Qana natural gas drilling. "Today, instead of Lebanon examining how to receive compensation from the Karish gas field, we are those who must provide compensation from the Qana field," she said.
"This is due to this weak deal. We do not know for certain what there is in Qana, compared to Karish in which there is definitely gas. What we will receive according to the agreement, is unknown and unsure," the parliament member said. "This agreement is a deal made by someone who has been defeated, the reality of fixing the maritime border is a bitter one."