Israel is studying its options for exporting its natural gas riches in the eastern Mediterranean, but instability in neighboring Egypt and friction with former ally Turkey are blocking possible undersea pipeline links with them to take the gas to Europe. That leaves a joint export operation with neighboring Cyprus, which will be the next big offshore gas producer in the region, looking like the frontrunner — for now, at least, because war-divided Cyprus lies at the center of a long and seemingly intractable dispute with Turkey. Regional security problems are proving to be a major stumbling block in the Jewish state’s drive to capitalize on its newfound energy wealth, with the Israeli navy undergoing an expansion driven by the need to protect Israel’s offshore fields and infrastructure. A recent report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration observed territorial disputes in the eastern […]