Israel sets maritime borders

          The Cabinet on Sunday ratified an agreement with Cyprus which sets Israel's maritime borders. Lebanon has rejected the borders set by the two countries, claiming the state is impinging on its naval territory, but Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would not cede "one centimeter". Lieberman also denied reports that the US supports Lebanon's claims, calling them "nonsense". "We have already concluded an agreement on this issue with Cyprus... Lebanon, under pressure from Hezbollah, is looking for friction, but we will not give up any part of what is rightfully ours," he said in a radio interview. The borders delineate an area thought to contain natural gas as well as oil reserves. Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau said the Lebanese government was being petty. "If they have complaints with nothing but goodwill and neighborly desire for coexistence they must take steps just like any other civilized country – and hold clarifications and negotiations with us," he said. Landau added that Israel had constructed a professional agreement by working with "international law experts and experts from the Cypriot government". "The border between us and them has been unequivocally set – this is our legally and professionally-based opinion that will be placed on the table of the UN," he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the economic benefits that could come from setting the borders. "The border delimits the state's economic rights, including the right to make use of natural resources at sea. The border Lebanon achieved in the UN is set significantly southward of the one offered by Israel, it conflicts with the borders set by Israel and Cyprus and, surprisingly, the borders Lebanon itself has set with Cyprus. Our goal is to set the lines in keeping with the principles of international law," he said. Lebanon rejected the borders set by the two countries, claiming they infringe on its naval territory. Gebran warned Israel against violating Lebanon’s maritime borders, saying it "will face a big problem. Lebanon will not abandon its maritime border. "The borderline is clear, whether on the land or at sea," he told the Lebanese daily As-Safir. Gebran further said that exploring the natural resources within Lebanon’s maritime border is "a scientific matter and falls under the rule of international law." He added Lebanon will not hesitate to take the matter up at the United Nations. "Lebanon will not give up its maritime energy rights or its maritime rights in general," he said, further accusing the announcement as being "a prelude to an aggressive step by Israel… We are familiar with (Israel's) aggression against our maritime space, air and land, and now against our (gas) rights. (23,44)