Betsey Piette – International Action Center Nov 14, 2023
In 1999, British Gas (BG) discovered the existence of natural gas in the Gaza Marine fields, 20 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, at a depth of 375 miles. Further exploration by BG through two successful wells — Gaza Marine 1 and Gaza Marine 2 — determined the field could contain up to 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. (EgyptOil-Gas.com, April 5, 2018)
The Palestinian Authority was “granted” the right to exercise sovereignty over its own maritime territory by the Oslo Accords in 1995. Four years later, following the findings of the offshore natural gas, the PA gave the international consortium BG a 25-year, 90% stake in a license to explore, develop any discovered fields, and install the required infrastructure. Since that time Israel has consistently blocked this development.
In 2002, the PA approved BG’s proposals to construct a pipeline to a processing facility in Gaza. However, the Israeli state delayed this development, arguing that the pipeline should run to an Israeli-controlled port, and that Palestinians would have to supply Gaza Marine surplus fuel to Israel at far below market price.
When Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections in Gaza in 2007, Israel established a militarized naval blockade, prohibiting further offshore development. Around the same time, Yam Thetis, an Israeli gas consortium, challenged the awarding of the contract to BG, further delaying the process.
In December 2008, in total contravention of international laws, Israel declared sovereignty over the Gaza Marine area, and BG closed its offices in Tel Aviv.
Royal Dutch Shell bought out BG’s interests in the Gaza Marine fields for $52 million in 2016. By March 2018, Royal Dutch Shell backed out of their investment, leaving the PA to search for a replacement company to develop the field. (EgyptOil-Gas.com, April 5, 2018)
U.N. study sights Palestinian natural gas reserves
A 2019 study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) identified existing and potential Palestinian oil and natural gas reserves in the West Bank and Gaza that could be developed for the benefit of the Palestinian people.
The report cited the Levant Basin Province, comprising 83,000 square kilometers of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with 122 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, as one of the most important natural gas resources in the world. Despite the fact that this reserve lies under waters bordering occupied Palestine, Lebanon, and Egypt, Israel has claimed sole access and profits from this find. (tinyurl.com/2r2mh5ts)
While the estimated volume of natural gas in the Gaza Marine is considerably less than the Levant Basin, its proximity to the shore and lesser depth make it easier and less costly to extract. In 2019, UNCTAD estimated the net value of the Gaza Marine natural gas at $4.592 billion — energy and financial resources that could go a long way in addressing poverty in the region.
Yet Israel continued to prevent Palestinians from developing and benefiting from their natural resources, in clear violation of international law that governs who has rights to these resources when a country is occupied.
Gaza Marine importance to global energy
Renewed interest in pursuing development of the Gaza Marine field surfaced in early 2022 following the war between Russia and Ukraine, the destruction of the Nord Stream Pipeline, and the sanctions placed on Russia that caused a global energy crisis. Joint meetings were held between Israeli, U.S., Egyptian, Jordanian and Palestinian Authority officials to discuss the project, which was given the go-ahead by Netanyahu following his reelection. In particular, President Joe Biden and Egyptian government officials pressured Israel to pursue the project. (al-monitor.com, June 19)
On June 18, Israel gave preliminary approval for the development of a gas field off the coast of Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming progress would hinge on “preserving the State of Israel’s security and diplomatic needs” and coordination with the Palestinian Authority and neighboring Egypt. At the same time, Hamas official Ismail Rudwan told Reuters: “We reaffirm that our people in Gaza have the rights to their natural resources.” (June 18)
Two months before Oct. 7, the Pentagon began building a $35.8 million troop facility in Israel’s Negev desert, 20 miles from Gaza, allegedly as a radar site to monitor for missile attacks on Israel. The base is part of a “secret” U.S. military presence in Israel. (The Intercept, Oct. 27)
Since Oct. 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel intends to kill as many Palestinians as possible in order to pressure others to leave the Gaza Strip and move to the Sinai in Egypt. Netanyahu has been adamant in refusing to order a cease-fire to let in aid to stop the horrific genocide being carried out in Gaza.
The people of Gaza are well aware, as their grandparents experienced with the 1948 Nakba, that once Israelis forcefully remove Palestinians from Palestinian land, returning is a near impossibility.
Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians has not stopped the Israeli regime’s plans for further oil and gas exploration. On Oct. 29, Israel announced that it awarded 12 licenses for exploring additional offshore natural gas fields to six companies, including British Petroleum and Italian energy giant Eni. These awards show that Israel has no intention of letting the genocide it is carrying out against Gaza’s people interfere with its ongoing theft of Palestinian resources.
Indigenous Land Back Movement
The authorities in Gaza were in discussion with Egypt to develop the natural gas field off Gaza’s coast with Egypt. See:
I don’t think that people understand what exactly is going on ,yes they want the gas field’s
Yes they want all of modern day Israel ( without Arab’s in it )
Yea they want Jordan , most of Syria and Lebanon the Sinai and lots of Saudi as well .
They want the whole planet to be under their command and most of all they want to cause a war and for the Messiah to come and save them.
the reason we went and took back the falklands is because Rothchild owns all the oil and mineral rights in the area
He got his pal Thatcher to send our boys out to die
another war for the jews
the boxing day foxhunt was marred by fighting and shouting
the hunters took exception to be being called names anf several anti-hunters got hurt with horse whips
one posh well spoken landowner got upset what called by name and accused of being a shirtlifter
this in contrast to the nearby sheep lovers meet where no violence occurred
the sheep are cared for and its a long held welsh tradition for boxing day sheep shagging
the only trouble we had was my dog ran off
it was a lovely say and enjoyed by all
A well-known maxim, is this: Where ever Big Oil goes, Uncle Sam follows.” Which accounts, at least in more than realized, the American naval armada off-shore of Gaza.
What a monstrous, terrorist state: Israel. And its world-wide partisans, its bought and owned Shabbos goy, domestic and otherwise.
America is complicit, an accomplice in this robbery, this genocide, this forced expulsion, this torture and imprisonment of Palestine.
Greed almost beyond comprehension, to see how Israel is taking from those it declares are enemies, then a murderous campaign to force their removal, accompanied with the usual twisted logic to convince the world of how righteous is the genocide.
As to the American leader, Joe “I’m a Zionist” Biden, a criminal of a stature to be placed with Stalin, with Netanyahu, with Gen Gurion, with any of that ilk.
The Jews own nothing, whatever they want they steal, just search history.
“…the Israeli state delayed this development, arguing that the pipeline should run to an Israeli-controlled port, and that Palestinians would have to supply Gaza Marine surplus fuel to Israel at far below market price.” … Utterly disgusting. No matter how much they shriek for, are given, or just flat-out steal, it is NEVER enough for the Jew. They demand ALL of your things and for you and yours to be their slaves until they decide to get their shit-golum lackeys to kill you outright. That evil is ingrained in them, it has been that way for those demonic scum for over 2000 years.
it is important to note that all companies internationaly
doing business + treaties on behalf israel about this
ofshore gas resavoirs are automaticly at war with the
palestinian people !
ISRAELS CHILD BROTHELS
Palestinian children are kidnapped by israel and their parents told they will become informers or their children will be tortureed starved and used by the IDF for their sexual comfort
2 child brothels were liberated by hamas but the chidren were sadly bombed as they walked home