The Times of Israel: Jordan Said to Suspend Talks with Israel Over Huge Gas Deal

Jordan said it was suspending talks with Israel over a proposed $15 billion deal for natural gas, Jordanian media reported Sunday, over a week after Israel barred a multinational consortium from developing offshore gas fields.

The cutting off of talks for the massive deal, the largest since Israel began developing the offshore fields expected to turn the country into a regional energy powerhouse, could herald what analysts say are likely jitters over doing business with Israel after its Anti-Trust Authority’s move to put the kibosh on the leasing arrangement.

The Jordanian paper al-Ghad reported that Amman cut off the talks after Israel’s anti-trust regulator said in late December that a partnership between the US-based Noble Energy and Israel’s Delek Group constituted a cartel and would have to be broken apart or sell off certain holdings. MORE