Israel in ‘secret talks’ with Palestinian Authority to extract gas from off Gaza coast

Palestinian navy officers look at the drilling operation launched 27 September 2000 to tap a newly-discovered gas field, which is due to start commercial production around the end of 2002, off the coast of Gaza. (AFP)
Palestinian navy officers look at the drilling operation launched 27 September 2000 to tap a newly-discovered gas field, which is due to start commercial production around the end of 2002, off the coast of Gaza. (AFP)
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Updated 05 May 2023

Israel in ‘secret talks’ with Palestinian Authority to extract gas from off Gaza coast

 Israel in ‘secret talks’ with Palestinian Authority to extract gas from off Gaza coast
  • Gaza Marine field, first discovered in the 1990s, would send gas to Egypt before it was sold on to Europe
  • PA claims ownership of the field, but Israel claims only states have the right to legally manage it

RAMALLAH: The Israeli government is conducting “secret talks” with the Palestinian Authority to extract gas from a field off the coast of the Gaza Strip — known as Gaza Marine — with the consent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, regional sources have confirmed.

The sources indicated that the Israeli government held internal discussions regarding the gas field — which is 36 km from the Gaza coast in the Mediterranean — after it was formed at the end of last year.

The talks were renewed as part of the political and security process that began recently between Israel and the PA, with US mediation, said the sources.

They added that the issue of developing the Gaza Marine field and preparing it for gas extraction was at the heart of the talks that took place during meetings in Aqaba and Sharm El-Sheikh.

These talks brought together security and political officials from the Palestinian and Israeli sides, under the auspices of the US. Jordan and Egypt also reportedly joined the discussions.

The Israeli side is led by Tzachi Hanegbi, head of the Israeli National Security Council, and Ghassan Olyan, coordinator of government operations in the occupied territories.

Israel believes the step will benefit the Palestinians economically, which may contribute to reducing security tension in the long run, said the sources. They added that extracting gas from Gaza Marine would be “subject to Israeli approval.”

The sources also said that “complications” had been raised by the Israeli side, as they claim only states have the right to manage gas fields legally.

The solution to this impasse is for Egypt to sponsor the gas extraction project because the PA cannot do it alone, the Israelis say.

The sources revealed that Israeli-Egyptian talks on the matter were held recently with the participation of senior officials.

The Palestinian Investment Fund signed an agreement with the Contractors’ Association with Egypt’s EGAS in February 2021 to cooperate in developing the Gaza Marine gas field.

Israel has informed the PA and the US and Egyptian sides, “through several channels,” of the resumption of internal Israeli talks on the matter. The Egyptian and US sides support the project despite some Palestinian skepticism.

The Palestinians say they own the Gaza Marine field, discovered at the end of the 1990s.

Gas has not been extracted from it due to the Israeli rejection of Palestinian requests to exploit it.

The sources believe that there are “security challenges” in completing the project.

Acording to an Israeli assessment, “Hamas will not stand idly by, so the central question is how to develop” the gas field, and there is an Israeli fear that any such step may provoke public criticism.

The field was initially developed in 2000 by British Gas, which left it for the benefit of Royal Dutch Shell, which subsequently left in 2018.

The reserves in the field are estimated at 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, or 32 billion cubic meters — equivalent to a production capacity of 1.5 billion cubic meters annually for 20 years.

Last October, a well-informed Palestinian source denied the existence of any Egyptian-Palestinian-Israeli agreement to extract gas from the Gaza Marine field.

The source also said that the consultations at that time took place between the Palestinians and the Egyptians without the participation of the Israeli side as “we will not pay Israel to extract what belongs to us. This is unacceptable ... and what is required of Israel is only not to obstruct the work.”

The Palestinian government had formed a ministerial committee to follow up with the Palestinian Investment Fund to complete an agreement with Egypt to finance and operate the field.

The gas extraction project is an essential strategic scheme for the PA, which has suffered a severe financial crisis since November 2021.

Palestinian economic expert Samir Hulileh told Arab News that the annual income from Gaza Marine — if operated — will be between $700 million to $800 million. This will be equivalent to $7 billion to $8 billion within 10 years.

Hulileh added that there would be no gas pipeline extension to the Israeli city of Ashdod, but rather to the Egyptian city of Al-Arish, where the gas would be processed and sold, along with Egyptian gas, to Europe.

A high-ranking official source in the PA told Arab News: “If the gas is extracted, it will be an important source of income for the PA’s treasury and reduce its water deficit, which will reach  $605 million by the end of this year.”

 

 


Iran frees one Danish, two Austrian-Iranian citizens

Iran frees one Danish, two Austrian-Iranian citizens
Updated 02 June 2023

Iran frees one Danish, two Austrian-Iranian citizens

Iran frees one Danish, two Austrian-Iranian citizens
  • Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo informed the governments of Denmark and Austria of the release

BRUSSELS: Iran on Friday released one Danish and two Austrian-Iranian citizens it had been holding after mediation by Oman, and they are being flown to Belgium, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said.
He added that he had informed the governments of Denmark and Austria of the release, which came a week after Tehran freed a Belgian aid worker in exchange for an Iranian diplomat who was convicted on terrorism charges.


NATO chief to visit Turkiye for Erdogan inauguration

NATO chief to visit Turkiye for Erdogan inauguration
Updated 02 June 2023

NATO chief to visit Turkiye for Erdogan inauguration

NATO chief to visit Turkiye for Erdogan inauguration
  • Trip comes as pressure builds on Recep Tayyip Erdogan to drop his opposition to Sweden joining NATO
  • Turkiye and Hungary are the only two member countries yet to ratify Sweden’s membership bid

BRUSSELS: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will visit Turkiye at the weekend to attend the inauguration of re-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and hold talks with him, the alliance said Friday.
The trip comes as pressure builds on Erdogan to drop his opposition to Sweden joining NATO.
Stoltenberg on Thursday said during a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Norway that he would soon visit Ankara to work toward Sweden joining “as early as possible,” after speaking with Erdogan by phone earlier this week.
The NATO statement said Stoltenberg would attend Erdogan’s inauguration on Saturday. The Turkish president was last week re-elected to serve another five-year term.
The statement said the visit would extend into Sunday and Stoltenberg would “have bilateral meetings with President Erdogan and with senior Turkish officials.”
NATO member Turkiye has dragged its feet over admitting Sweden to the military alliance. It and Hungary are the only two member countries yet to ratify Sweden’s membership bid.
Finland formally joined the alliance in April.
Erdogan has accused Sweden of being a haven for “terrorists,” especially members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom on Thursday said his country has fulfilled all its commitments to join, and “it is time for Turkiye and Hungary to start the ratification of the Swedish membership to NATO.”
Many of the ministers who attended the Oslo meeting said they wanted to see Sweden join before a NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius on July 11-12.
Stoltenberg has said that goal is “absolutely possible.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose country is the dominant member of NATO, also said on Thursday that “we fully anticipate” Sweden joining by the Vilnius summit.


From Jordan, Jill Biden arrives in Cairo as part of Mideast tour aiming to empower women, youth

From Jordan, Jill Biden arrives in Cairo as part of Mideast tour aiming to empower women, youth
Updated 02 June 2023

From Jordan, Jill Biden arrives in Cairo as part of Mideast tour aiming to empower women, youth

From Jordan, Jill Biden arrives in Cairo as part of Mideast tour aiming to empower women, youth
  • The tour marks Biden’s first visit to the Middle East as first lady
  • Her six-day trip across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe seeks to empower women and promote education for young people

CAIRO: Jill Biden arrived in Cairo on Friday, on the second leg of her six-day trip across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe that seeks to empower women and promote education for young people.
The first lady arrived in the Egyptian capital from Amman, Jordan, where she attended the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Saudi architect Rajwa Alsei f on Thursday. She is traveling to Morocco on Saturday before heading to Portugal, the final stop of her tour, on Monday.
The nuptials in Jordan drew a star-studded list — headlined by Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate — but also held deep significance for the region, emphasizing continuity in an Arab state prized for its long standing stability.
Egypt is one of the largest recipients in the Mideast of American economic and military aid and a longstanding US ally. However, in recent years, US lawmakers have sought to condition that aid on human rights improvements and reforms.
Biden was greeted on the tarmac by Entissar Amer, Egypt’s first lady, and was later to meet with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi before visiting a technical school in the capital.
Biden’s spokesperson, Vanessa Valdivia, told The Associated Press last week that the first lady’s visit to Egypt will also focus on US investments that support education programs.
Since coming to power in 2013, El-Sisi’s government has overseen a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent, jailing thousands. The government have targeted not only Islamist political opponents but also pro-democracy activists, journalists and online critics.
The tour marks Biden’s first visit to the Middle East as first lady. She traveled to Namibia and Kenya in February.


Lebanon’s Hezbollah says not linked to accused in UNIFIL peacekeeper killing

Lebanon’s Hezbollah says not linked to accused in UNIFIL peacekeeper killing
Updated 02 June 2023

Lebanon’s Hezbollah says not linked to accused in UNIFIL peacekeeper killing

Lebanon’s Hezbollah says not linked to accused in UNIFIL peacekeeper killing

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Friday denied that five men accused by a military tribunal of killing an Irish UN peacekeeper in 2022 were linked to the armed Shiite group.
A court document filed on Thursday had identified some of the five as members of Hezbollah and allied movement Amal, according to a senior Lebanese judicial source.
Hezbollah media official Mohammad Afif said the five accused were not members of the group, which controls the part of southern Lebanon where last year’s attack took place, and also denied that the indictment had described them as Hezbollah members.
Private Sean Rooney, 23, was killed on Dec. 15 in the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015.
Afif said Hezbollah had played a big role after the killing in reducing tensions and in local people’s cooperation with the army and judicial investigation.
His comments are the first by a Hezbollah official since Thursday’s reported indictment. The Amal Movement, which is headed by Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, has so far declined to comment.
The judicial source had said evidence was drawn from camera recordings in which the accused refer to themselves as members of Hezbollah. A second judicial source confirmed that camera evidence was mentioned in the 30-page court document.
Hezbollah has previously denied involvement in the killing, calling it an “unintentional incident” that took place solely between the town’s residents and the UNIFIL peacekeeping force.


UAE’s mandatory midday work break starts June 15

UAE’s mandatory midday work break starts June 15
Updated 02 June 2023

UAE’s mandatory midday work break starts June 15

UAE’s mandatory midday work break starts June 15
  • Working in open spaces and under direct sunlight is not allowed from 12:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.
  • Companies are also required to provide shaded areas where workers can rest during the midday break

DUBAI: The UAE’s mandatory midday break for all outdoor workers will start on June 15, the 19th consecutive year the ban has been enforced to protect employees from the intense summer heat.

Working in open spaces and under direct sunlight is not allowed from 12:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. until Sept 15 this year, with daily working hours in both morning and evening shifts restricted to eight hours.

Any employee made to work more than eight hours in a 24-hour period will be considered to have worked overtime and must be compensated for it.

Companies are also required to provide shaded areas where workers can rest during the midday break.

Employers found flouting the regulations will be fined approximately $1,360 for each worker they require to work during required midday break, with a maximum of $13,614 penalty in case multiple workers are involved.

The implementation of the midday break is in line with Ministerial Resolution No. (44) of 2022 on Occupational Health and Safety and Labor Accommodation, which aims to provide adequate working environments that protect workers from occupational hazards and prevents work-related injuries or illnesses, a report from state news agency WAM said.

“We are confident that employers across the country will comply with the provisions of the ban. Over the past years, we have seen impressive compliance rates, which confirms the level of awareness in the market about the importance of this decision and its effective role in protecting workers from the hazards of direct exposure to sunlight or working in open spaces around naloon,” according to Mohsen Al-Nassi, assistant undersecretary for inspection affairs at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

There are however exemptions to the midday break, particularly jobs that “require work to continue uninterrupted and they are exempted from implementing the midday work ban for technical reasons,” WAM reported.

These include laying asphalt or pouring concrete – when it is impractical to postpone these tasks – as well as works needed to contain hazards or repair damage that affects the community, such as interruptions to water supply or electricity, cutting off traffic, and other major issues.

“The exemptions also include works that require a permit from a relevant government authority to be implemented, given their impact on the flow of traffic and services. These tasks require non-stop work, including cutting or diverting main traffic routes, power lines, and communications,” WAM said.

Employers are also required to provide sufficient cold drinking water for workers exempted from the midday ban, as well as provide hydrating food, such as salts and/or other food items approved for use by the local authorities.