UPI: Israel's dilemma: Where to sell the east Med gas
The Israeli government, rejoicing in the Jewish state's growing reserves of natural gas off its Mediterranean coast and the possibility of oil as well, is wrestling with the geopolitical ramifications this energy wealth has brought in its train.
The problem is whether to build a natural gas pipeline under the Mediterranean to Turkey to reach the European market, and risk antagonizing Russia which sees Europe as its turf, or go for liquefying the gas for shipping via the Red Sea to China and the high-value Asia market, and possibly annoy the United States.
As Israel stands on the brink of becoming a significant energy power in the region, lawmaker Isaac Herzog, chairman of the opposition Labor Party parliamentary group, observed: "This is a strategic turning point, which turns Israel from a resource-poor country ... into a country with important strategic national resources.