Al-Monitor: Will Arab countries buy Israel's natural gas?
The Institute for Palestinian Studies (IPS) held a symposium in Beirut last week under the title of “Gas in the Eastern Mediterranean: challenges and possibilities.” It tackled, among other things, the geopolitical and economic dimensions of gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean waters, and especially the signing of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to supply Arab states with gas from Israeli fields for the next 20-25 years.
The symposium discussed the phenomenon of global companies willing to cooperate with Israel, knowing that most of them had previously refrained from such cooperation for fear of being boycotted by Arab states, with the exception of the US company Noble Energy, which has thus far worked on all Israeli discoveries.
The studies showed a new Israeli policy that aims to penetrate the Arab energy sector. If Israel succeeds in so doing, then it will gradually influence the electricity supply and prices in concerned countries. The Israeli attempt is a penetration into the Arab energy industry.