Follow the gas to understand one of the geostrategic reasons for the war between Hamas and Israel. It’s the same old story, wars are fought for reasons of national security and for money. Gas is a fundamental resource for the economies of the future. Opposite the Gaza Strip there is an immense treasure that could bring electricity and wealth to the Strip and the rest of Palestine, emancipating the country from international humanitarian aid. The field is called Gaza Marine and is located approximately 36 kilometers from the Palestinian coast, at 610 meters deep. According to estimates, it would contain 1,000 billion cubic meters of gas and provide revenues of 4.5 billion dollars, a stable source of energy supply for homes, water desalination plants and for the development of agriculture. This treasure, discovered almost a quarter of a century ago, has never been exploited by the opposition in Tel Aviv. The new conflict that broke out in the Strip came just when Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with the intermediation of Egypt, seemed to have found an agreement to start work on the field.
The gas field was discovered in 1999 by British Gas. The development of the Gaza marine field is potentially a central pillar for energy security in Palestine, contributing to self-sufficiency in energy production by reducing dependence on imported energy sources. The cost of developing the Gaza marine field is estimated at $1 billion. According to the decision of the Council of Ministers of Palestine, the development rights consist of an alliance between the Palestine Investment Fund and the Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) at 27.5% each according to the rights granted to them by the current licensing agreement.
The remaining 45% will be allocated to an international development company subject to approval by the Palestinian Council of Ministers. In 2021, the parties involved in the Gaza gas field, the Palestine Investment Fund, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and the Consolidated Contractors Company signed a “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for the Development of the Gaza Gas Field and the necessary infrastructure, the purpose of which is to meet Palestine’s natural gas needs, to strengthen cooperation between the two states and to export part of the gas to Egypt. Talks are ongoing between the two parties to reach an agreement for the development of the field which will have a significant impact on the energy sector in Palestine.”
Speaking precisely about gas management, in recent years Hamas has criticized the Palestinian Authority’s “monopoly” on Palestinian decisions. Hamas spokesperson said on Twitter that “It is a shame that Palestinian Authority and Fatah officials in Ramallah are selling the Palestinian people the illusion of running a state.” Adding that the Palestinian Authority has failed to realize any of the national aspirations of the Palestinian people.
The Gaza Marine field has always been the subject of political ambitions and media campaigns have brought nothing concrete. It was September 2000 when the then leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Yasser Arafat, appeared on TV to announce the discovery of natural gas off the coast of Gaza. A year earlier, Arafat had signed a contract with the British company British Gas to conduct research in the waters assigned to Palestine under the 1995 Oslo II Accords. For the PLO leader, the discovery was “a gift from God” to the Palestinian people for generations to come. “This will provide a solid foundation for our economy, to create an independent state with holy Jerusalem as its capital,” he declared boarded on a fishing boat.
The enthusiasm did not last long: first the outbreak of the second Intifada, and then the arrival of Hamas gave strength to the Israeli resistance, which effectively blocked any project of exploitation of the Gaza Marine. Tel Aviv wants a slice of the gas extracted: for Israel, short of its own resources, it is also a question of security in its energy supply. The seizure of power in Gaza by Hamas in 2007 made the picture even worse. “A turning point was the Israeli military operation in Gaza in December 2008 – wrote Mahmoud Elkhafif, coordinator for Palestine of Unctad, a UN agency – Following the operation, the Palestinian natural gas fields they were effectively placed under Israeli control without regard to international law. The question of sovereignty over the Gaza gas fields is crucial. From a legal point of view, the gas reserves belong to the occupied Palestinian territories.”
Cont'd on link
Responses
« Back to index | View thread »