The Middle East Program’s Lebanon Ideas Forum invited Alain Bifani to comment on the US-brokered maritime deal between Lebanon and Israel. The historic agreement will end a long-running dispute between the two countries in the Mediterranean Sea, opening the door to offshore oil and gas exploration.

Alain Bifani, who served as Director General of the Lebanon Ministry of Finance from 2000 to 2020 and is now President of the Lebanese Citizen Foundation, outlines the economic benefits of the agreement for Lebanon, as well as the possible challenges that can undermine such progress. The discussion builds on a report published by the Lebanese Citizen Foundation on Lebanon gas exploration and exploitation.