Israel 'strongly' condemns Libyan approval of maritime deal with Turkey

Oct 21 - Israel said on Wednesday it "strongly" condemned the Libyan eastern parliament's approval of a maritime-boundaries deal with Turkey that drew swift criticism from Israeli ally Greece.The deal approved on Tuesday is part of a years-old dispute over competing claims to sea borders and energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.• "Regretfully, once again we see Turkey working to destabilise the east Mediterranean region," the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement.• Israeli and Turkish leaders have escalated their rhetoric against each other as they remain sharply at odds over Syria and the war in Gaza.• Greece and Turkey, NATO allies but historic rivals, have disputed maritime borders in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean.• Greece, Egypt and Cyprus have long been opposed to a maritime-boundaries deal between Libya and Turkey, as they see it as an infringement on their own maritime claims.• Athens and Cairo signed an overlapping deal designating an exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean in 2020, which Turkey opposes. REUTERS