Lebanon and Israel just announced that they are opening negotiations. This surprised many. It is an emotional development, coming on the heels of the BEIRUT EXPLOSION and the peace agreements signed at the White House last month. Recently, Lebanon has acted sanely and has allowed itself to be dragged into confrontation with Israel, despite Hezbollah’s hostility from within Lebanon, toward Israel. The negotiations will be conducted by military commanders and will deal with the disputed maritime borders between the two nations. Israel’s development of offshore gas reserves adds to the importance of the issue. No official date has yet been set for the opening of negotiations.

This is not the first time that negotiations of this nature have...