After years of heightened tensions and threats of armed escalation over a maritime boundary dispute, the Lebanese and Israeli Governments concluded on 27 October 2022 an Agreement related to the Establishment of a Permanent Maritime Boundary. The agreement was reached following mediation by the United States with facilitation by the United Nations.

This paper lays out the (international and national) legal framework of the agreement–including the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the international law of the sea, customary international law, Lebanese and Israeli law–and elaborates on its binding effects.

The paper also takes stock of developments that have occurred since the making of the deal, including the opening up of prospecting rights in blocks covered by the agreement.

Aref Fakhry is an experienced maritime lawyer and policy expert. His career has spanned over 30 years of specialised consulting services and academic work. He is currently an Associate Professor at the World Maritime University based in Malmö, Sweden. He holds a PhD from the University of Southampton. He regularly visits and engages on maritime issues in the MENA region.

This paper was written in English only. 

It represents in no way the views or positions of the World Maritime University, or the International Maritime Organization.