Bloomberg:Israel Sees Gas as Key to Transforming Mideast Relations
After this summer’s war in Gaza battered Israel’s international reputation, the country’s leaders say they have a new foreign policy tool to build relations with its neighbors: natural gas.
By the the end of the year, Israel may have binding agreements to sell billions of dollars of gas to Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Preliminary talks are taking place with customers in Turkey, even though President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is among Israel’s fiercest critics. Gas may even help improve relationships in the Gaza Strip.
“There are now extraordinary opportunities for Israel based on energy policy, both economically and diplomatically,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon. “This is a real game-changer of common interests and benefits for many actors in the region. It could also bring about better relations with Turkey, and with other regional actors with whom Israel is not yet in close contact.”