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Israeli PM dismisses IAEA report on Iran

  • Netanyahu said he was “not impressed” by the report which charged Iran slowed nuclear activities.   • Netanyahu reiterated his stance that the world powers must keep sanctions against Iran intact.   • Netanyahu campaigns against lifting sanctions and “hurrying into a deal”.   JERUSALEM, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) – Israel i Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday dismissed a report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ), which indicated that Iran had significantly slowed down its efforts to reach nuclear capabilities. Speaking at a convention for American Jewish youth in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said he was “not impressed” by the report which charged that the rate of uranium enrichment at the nuclear facility in Natenz had dropped significantly in the past three months, under the regime of the recently-elected Hassan Rouhani. The report specifically stated that the stockpile of high-level enriched uranium had risen by five percent since […]

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Lure of Israel's gas may dampen Turkish ire

TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 14 (UPI) — Israel is on the cusp of becoming a natural gas exporter and key energy power in the Middle East, a move that could produce significant geopolitical changes in a region beset by turmoil. That includes a new alliance with Turkey, which seems to be moving toward setting aside its political differences with the Jewish state, just as it is doing with Iraq’s oil-rich Kurds, in the interest of achieving its ambition to become the main energy broker in the region. Israel is now considering its options for exporting gas from its Tamar field, which began production March 30, and the larger but still undeveloped Leviathan field, which is due to come onstream in 2015. Between them these fields contain an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet of gas. Israel has set aside 40 percent of its gas production for export, expected to earn […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Lure of Israel’s gas may dampen Turkish ire

TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 14 (UPI) — Israel is on the cusp of becoming a natural gas exporter and key energy power in the Middle East, a move that could produce significant geopolitical changes in a region beset by turmoil. That includes a new alliance with Turkey, which seems to be moving toward setting aside its political differences with the Jewish state, just as it is doing with Iraq’s oil-rich Kurds, in the interest of achieving its ambition to become the main energy broker in the region. Israel is now considering its options for exporting gas from its Tamar field, which began production March 30, and the larger but still undeveloped Leviathan field, which is due to come onstream in 2015. Between them these fields contain an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet of gas. Israel has set aside 40 percent of its gas production for export, expected to earn […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Israel-US relations battered by split over Iran

Netanyahu For much of the past week, Benjamin Netanyahu has taken every opportunity to slam a proposed nuclear agreement with Iran , but the Israeli prime minister’s most barnstorming performance was a Sunday speech to the Jewish Federations of North America. “It is a bad and dangerous deal that affects our survival,” he told the group, who held their annual convention in Jerusalem. Iranian designs for a nuclear bomb that could reach the US were “the plan coming to a theatre near you”. “Is that what you want?” he asked the audience, who responded “No”. “Well do something about it. We are.” No nuclear deal has yet been signed by Iran and the six world powers involved in the talks, but the negotiations have opened up a crisis between Israel and the US . The public and aggressive lobbying of Washington by Mr Netanyahu, who has had a turbulent […]

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Israel PM calls for joint Western effort to reduce transport sector's oil dependency

Jerusalem (Platts)–13Nov2013/326 am EST/826 GMT Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a concerted effort by Western countries to reduce their dependency on oil in the transportation sector. Speaking at an alternative energy conference in Tel Aviv Tuesday evening, the Israeli leader said that oil remains a tremendous source of international instability. He added that oil acts as a weight holding down economic development. In 2011, the government had approved a $420 million 10-year program aimed at sharply reducing oil consumption in the country’s transportation sector, Platts previously reported. The funds were to be allocated for research and development of alternative fuels. They would not focus on an individual technology, but will make funds available to a wide range of ventures. Article continues below… Request a free trial of: Oilgram News Oilgram News Oilgram News brings you fast-breaking global petroleum and gas news on and including: Industry players, […]

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Israel PM calls for joint Western effort to reduce transport sector’s oil dependency

Jerusalem (Platts)–13Nov2013/326 am EST/826 GMT Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a concerted effort by Western countries to reduce their dependency on oil in the transportation sector. Speaking at an alternative energy conference in Tel Aviv Tuesday evening, the Israeli leader said that oil remains a tremendous source of international instability. He added that oil acts as a weight holding down economic development. In 2011, the government had approved a $420 million 10-year program aimed at sharply reducing oil consumption in the country’s transportation sector, Platts previously reported. The funds were to be allocated for research and development of alternative fuels. They would not focus on an individual technology, but will make funds available to a wide range of ventures. Article continues below… Request a free trial of: Oilgram News Oilgram News Oilgram News brings you fast-breaking global petroleum and gas news on and including: Industry players, […]

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Oil Flow Reported at Givot Olam's Well in Central Israel

By Sara Toth Stub Special to DOW JONES NEWSWIRES JERUSALEM–Israeli energy exploration company Givot Olam Oil Exploration Ltd. Partnership (GIVOL.TV) said Monday oil flowed to the surface during drilling at its well in central Israel. The flow of oil, at about five barrels a minute, doesn’t change expectations of the amount of reserves in its Meged field, Givot Olam said. The company said in its most recent estimates that the field may contain up to 7.8 million barrels of oil. Givot Olam was founded by Jewish geologist Tovia Luskin, who claims that the Bible promises oil will be found in Israel. The company began looking for oil in Israel in 1992 and discovered the Meged reserve in 2004. Although significant quantities of oil haven’t previously been found in Israel, in recent years large, commercially viable quantities of natural gas have been discovered offshore Israel. Increased production from those natural […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Oil Flow Reported at Givot Olam’s Well in Central Israel

By Sara Toth Stub Special to DOW JONES NEWSWIRES JERUSALEM–Israeli energy exploration company Givot Olam Oil Exploration Ltd. Partnership (GIVOL.TV) said Monday oil flowed to the surface during drilling at its well in central Israel. The flow of oil, at about five barrels a minute, doesn’t change expectations of the amount of reserves in its Meged field, Givot Olam said. The company said in its most recent estimates that the field may contain up to 7.8 million barrels of oil. Givot Olam was founded by Jewish geologist Tovia Luskin, who claims that the Bible promises oil will be found in Israel. The company began looking for oil in Israel in 1992 and discovered the Meged reserve in 2004. Although significant quantities of oil haven’t previously been found in Israel, in recent years large, commercially viable quantities of natural gas have been discovered offshore Israel. Increased production from those natural […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Iran Talks Strain Mideast Alliances

Israel tried to stave off an emerging agreement between Iran and global powers aimed at preventing Tehran from attaining a nuclear weapon, underlining the chasm that has opened up between the Obama administration and its closest Middle East allies over how to deal with their nemesis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed against the expected accord in particularly harsh terms Friday, calling on Western allies to “reconsider” after three meetings in two days with Secretary of State John Kerry . President Barack Obama called the Israeli leader in an attempt to calm the furor. “The deal that is being discussed in Geneva right now is a bad deal,” Mr. Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv after meeting with Mr. Kerry. “Iran isn’t even required to take apart even one centrifuge, but the international community is relieving sanctions on Iran.…I urged Secretary Kerry not to rush to sign—to wait, to reconsider. […]

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Netanyahu Attack on Iran Deal Threatens Rift With U.S.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s rejection of a potential agreement on Iran’s nuclear program , which he denounced as a “very bad deal,” threatens to ignite the most serious U.S.- Israel dispute in years. His public criticism follows a series of meetings on the topic with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry , who flew to Geneva today to join talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. They’re seeking to nail down the first step in an accord that would relieve some sanctions against Iran if it curtails certain nuclear activities. The clash over Iran negotiations follows an effort by President Barack Obama to reassure Netanyahu of his support for Israel, including a trip there in March, after a series of disputes. Kerry’s talks with Netanyahu have sought to avoid a blanket rejection of initial moves toward a nuclear pact, which could fuel opponents in the U.S. […]

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