Last week, Jerusalem and Beirut began negotiations, with U.S. mediation, over demarcating the maritime border between the two countries. Should they reach an agreement, Lebanon might be better able to exploit its offshore natural-gas resources in the same ways that Israel has. The most optimistic supporters of the talks believe they could lead to bilateral economic cooperation and eventually peace. But Tony Badran and Michael Doran argue that, to the contrary, the negotiations only lend credibility to a Hizballah-led government, and perhaps a way out of its economic crisis, but offer little to the Jewish state. (Interview by Gadi Taub. Video, one hour.)
More about: Hizballah, Israel diplomacy, Lebanon, Natural Gas, U.S. Foreign policy