Lapid accuses Netanyahu and co. of hypocrisy over Lebanon talks they once denounced

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who oversaw a landmark 2022 arrangement with Lebanon as foreign minister during his rotational government with Naftali Bennett, says in an interview that the same politicians who criticized the deal to demarcate maritime borders and offshore riparian rights are now negotiating a much more significant pact.

Israel said Tuesday it had agreed to hold talks with Lebanon on delineating a border between the two countries. An official said Wednesday that Israel was aiming for an agreement to establish full diplomatic relations with Lebanon.

“I made a deal on economic waters — an economic deal with the Lebanese government, the Americans and French. And they yelled [that it was a] ‘deal with Hamas,’ ‘deal with Hamas,” Lapid tells the Ynet news site, referring to criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and right-wing allies who were in the opposition at the time over the agreement.

He calls the situation “comical.”

“The talks were over some two kilometers of saltwater with a few fish far from the sea’s depths. There wasn’t even gas there,” he claims.

Lapid claims that he refused at the time to entertain discussion over five points along the border that are inside Israel but claimed by Lebanon, which will now be among the issues discussed in the upcoming talks.

“Now the government is conducting talks on Israeli territory, after they made a deal with Hezbollah, something we never did. But fine, I’ll support whatever is best for the country,” he says.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November, though Lebanon technically negotiated on Hezbollah’s behalf.