OIL
AND GAS RESERVES ADD TO EXISTING TENSIONS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND LEBANON
The recent discovery of oil and gas
reserves in the eastern MEDITERRANEAN off the ISRAELI, CYPRIOT and LEBANESE coasts
is a great boost to the independence and self-sufficiency of these countries.
But the discoveries also add to
existing tensions between ISRAEL and LEBANON as both are claiming the oil and
gas reserves as their own.
In April, natural gas from the ISRAELI
Tamar reserve began to flow from an offshore rig in the MEDITERRANEAN Sea into ISRAEL,
giving the country the chance to hone its energy security and freedom.
Yosef Paritzky, former minister of
national infrastructure and energy, said: “The state of ISRAEL cannot be choosy
in picking up its energy resources. We are an island here, we are surrounded by
less friendly and some more friendly ARAB nations but truly, the security of
energy is a major issue of Israel and especially when we are talking about
natural gas.”
Since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in EGYPT
two years ago, EGYPTIAN gas pipes to ISRAEL have been bombed again and again.
Last year, Cairo cancelled the contract altogether.
But the new discoveries are not all
plain-sailing and could bring new problems with old enemies.
Background Information on related topic:
TURKEY AND LEBANON ALSO SAY THE OIL AND GAS IS THEIRS.
Dr Shalom Wald, senior fellow of the
Jewish People Policy Institute in Jerusalem, said: “The issue of maritime
rights is one of the most complicated issues in international law. There are
some principal laws but there are a lot of disagreements and the UNITED NATIONS
has not been able, as far as I know, to find, to issue a final agreement about
maritime borders because every country has its own interest in this.”
ISRAEL and LEBANON are technically
still at war. They have never agreed on maritime boundaries, making it unclear
where ISRAEL ends and LEBANON begins.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of
militant group Hezbollah, said: “Studies show this 850-kilometre area is worth
hundreds of millions of dollars. LEBANON says that it belongs to us and ISRAEL has
no right to touch it or try to find oil there.”
The discovery of oil and gas in this
area has also raised the interest of foreign armies like CHINA, IRAN, AMERICA,
BRITAIN and FRANCE, who are all present in the seas off the eastern
Mediterranean.
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