Natural Gas - Gaza has it: Israel wants it. That simple.
Less Is More
[January 14, 2009] Anyone who thinks that Israel's invading Gaza has to do with 'terrorism' or 'defending Israel', or for that matter the history of the conflict, are missing the elephant in the room: Gas. Gaza has it; Israel wants it.
In fact, Israel has already made deals with British Gas (BG) (the innovative distributor) to pump the Gazan gas to the BTC pipeline where it can be sold to the West.
How many people still think the Georgia-Russia conflict was NOT about an oil corridor - the BTC pipeline? It is all about oil corridors....approximately 90% of it...and the other 10% is about the Big Dogs controlling the remaining resources of earth.
While the media whips up public opinion into a circus like feeding frenzy, the energy corporations are pulling the strings. Below is an article from 2007 on the contract between BG and Israel to harvest and transport Gazan natural gas. The following month, BG confirms their strategy to match markets and knows reserves innovatively, to continue soaring profits.
When Hamas came into power, democratically elected, it refused to abide by the previous terms set out by the American Fatah puppets: Isreal wanted the gas, but didn't want to give Gaza any money for it. This was not suitable for Hamas. So the gas deal is up in the air...along with the phosperous bombs over the people of Gaza.
To catch these ugly details requires some pretty boring reading through volumes of corporate doublespeak and media propaganda. I have presented some notable sources here. But we must all think for ourselves. To catch a bit of BG's rationale, 'Why what is good for us is good for Gaza' check out BG deal provides a basis for peace.
No one promised the truth would be easy to find or pleasant when found.
BG Group at centre of $4bn deal to supply Gaza gas to Israel
The British energy firm is set to agree terms of a $4bn, 15-year deal over gas discovered off the Gaza coast
May 23, 2007
Steve Hawkes and Sonia Verma in Jerusalem
BG Group is poised to agree the terms of an historic $4 billion (£2 billion) deal to supply Palestinian gas to Israel from a discovery off the Gaza coastline, The Times has learnt.
Representatives from the British energy company are scheduled next week to meet a team of negotiators chosen by the Israeli Cabinet to thrash out a 15-year contract. Despite the violence in Gaza, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has insisted that it wants to conclude a deal “as soon as possible”.
It would enable BG Group, the former owner of British Gas, to begin to develop an offshore field that is the Palestine Authority’s only natural resource. The move would mark an unprecedented milestone in Middle East relations. There would be enough gas to provide 10 per cent of Israel’s annual energy requirement, and the Palestinians would receive total royalties of $1 billion. Sources in the Middle East note that the sensitive talks could be derailed at any time by the acute political tension that surrounds the deal.
However, Nigel Shaw, the BG Group vice-president in the region, said: “We are making progress. There are commercial issues to be completed and we also require bilateral agreement between the two governments to get this project across the line. But this is a chance for greater economic prosperity in Palestine and that is only good for peace.”
The signing of heads of terms would mark an amazing turnaround, given the political and legal disputes that have dogged the project since BG Group discovered the Gaza Marine field in 2000. It holds one trillion cubic feet of gas, the equivalent of 150 million barrels of oil, equivalent to a large North Sea field.
Six years ago Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister at the time, vowed that Israel would never buy gas from its neighbour. The project also was held up by a legal challenge in the Israeli Supreme Court to establish whether the Palestinians had any right to the discovery. Last year BG Group was close to signing a deal to pump the gas to Egypt before Tony Blair intervened and asked the company to give Israel a second chance. Three weeks ago the Israeli Cabinet approved a proposal by Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, to buy gas from the Palestinian Authority. The Cabinet recognised the need for new energy sources to feed Israel’s rapidly growing economy.
Under BG Group’s plans, gas from the field would be transported by an undersea pipeline to the seaport of Ashkelon. Although Israeli insiders are confident of a deal,significant questions remain, not least how payments to the Palestinian Authority will be made. Israeli defence authorities want the Palestinians to be paid in goods and services and insist that no money go to the Hamas-controlled Government.
Go to Source [link defunct - this editor] to access the following links:
● Cooking with gas: BG keeps growing
● BG Group to supply Palestinian gas to Israel
● BG Group unveils £1bn share buy back
● BG deal provides a basis for peace
Success for BG could signal a new era in the relationship between Palestine and Israel. Related Internet Links
● BG Group company information
● BG Group share price chart
● BG Group forecast
The signing of heads of terms would mark an amazing turnaround, given the political and legal disputes that have dogged the project since BG Group discovered the Gaza Marine field in 2000. It holds one trillion cubic feet of gas, the equivalent of 150 million barrels of oil, equivalent to a large North Sea field.
Six years ago Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister at the time, vowed that Israel would never buy gas from its neighbour. The project also was held up by a legal challenge in the Israeli Supreme Court to establish whether the Palestinians had any right to the discovery. Last year BG Group was close to signing a deal to pump the gas to Egypt before Tony Blair intervened and asked the company to give Israel a second chance. Three weeks ago the Israeli Cabinet approved a proposal by Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, to buy gas from the Palestinian Authority. The Cabinet recognised the need for new energy sources to feed Israel’s rapidly growing economy.
Under BG Group’s plans, gas from the field would be transported by an undersea pipeline to the seaport of Ashkelon. Although Israeli insiders are confident of a deal,significant questions remain, not least how payments to the Palestinian Authority will be made. Israeli defence authorities want the Palestinians to be paid in goods and services and insist that no money go to the Hamas-controlled Government.
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