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Israel Proposes Changes to Iran Nuclear Deal

ENLARGE Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz proposed changes to the nuclear deal announced last week between Iran and six world powers. The demands marked the first time Israeli officials outlined their own alternatives to the nuclear deal. Photo: Associated Press JERUSALEM—Israel’s intelligence chief proposed a dramatic revamp of an agreement forged last week between six world powers and Iran over its nuclear program and said the U.S. Congress was the most likely arena to fend off an unfavorable deal. Last week’s framework, however, leaves almost no room for negotiators on either side to overhaul the terms in the way Yuval Steinitz, the intelligence minister, called for Monday in a meeting with reporters. Instead, the demands are more likely to form the basis of renewed lobbying Israel has vowed to make against the deal, specifically among congressional lawmakers who seek to review the deal and are considering new sanctions against […]

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Israeli Response to Iran Nuclear Deal Could Have Broader Implications

JERUSALEM — It took President Obama two days to call Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel after his March 17 electoral victory, and any congratulations were couched in an excoriation of Mr. Netanyahu’s hawkish and divisive campaign rhetoric. It took Mr. Obama about two hours to call Mr. Netanyahu after Thursday’s announcement of a framework agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program , and this time it was the Israeli leader who lectured the American that the emerging deal “would threaten the survival” of his state. The White House account of the call was conciliatory: The president promised to increase security consultations and cooperation with Israel to “remain vigilant in countering Iran ’s threats.” The relationship between the two leaders, and their two nations, has always been asymmetrical — the United States is the world’s sole superpower, Israel a small country in a volatile neighborhood. But while Mr. Obama’s promised […]

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How the Eastern Mediterranean Could Supply Natural Gas to Europe

As Europe is seeking sources of natural gas to serve as an alternative for the politically sensitive Gazprom supply, a massive gas source presents itself for exploration and production. Whether this will happen or not depends on Turkey, a potential transit country. The development of the Leviathan field offshore Israel and of the Aphrodite natural-gas field offshore Cyprus is a potential game-changer. If the East Med gas pipeline is built via Turkey, offshore Israel and Cyprus may become serious gas suppliers for Europe. Until recently, the lack of natural resources effectively excluded the two countries from being big players. Leviathan boasts recoverable reserves of 17 trillion cubic feet of gas and 1.6 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The Cypriot offshore Aphrodite field boasts estimated reserves of 7 trillion cubic feet. The European Union has publicly recognized that to ensure energy security and reach its climate-change goals, it must engage with […]

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Arab Alliance Rises as Force in Israeli Elections

IBILLIN, Israel — Avigdor Lieberman , Israel ’s nationalist foreign minister, stared coolly at the Arab politician sitting at the opposite end of a glass table during a televised election debate. “Why did you come to this studio, why not to Gaza, or Ramallah? Why are you even here?” asked Mr. Lieberman, who frequently calls Israel’s Arab citizens traitors and suggests that their towns be transferred to Palestinian control. “You are not wanted here; you are a Palestinian citizen.” The politician, Ayman Odeh, the leader of an alliance of Arab parties formed to contest Israeli elections on Tuesday, appeared unruffled. “I am very welcome in my homeland,” he said, a subtle dig at Mr. Lieberman, an immigrant from the former Soviet republic of Moldova. “I am part of the nature, the surroundings, the landscape,” he said in Arabic-accented Hebrew. The clash in late February on Israel’s popular Channel 2, […]

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Palestinian side cancels Israeli gas deal

Palestinian power company cancels contract with counterparts controlling Israeli natural gas reserves. (UPI/Shutterstock/James Jones Jr.) Operators at the Leviathan natural gas field off the Israeli coast said Wednesday a Palestinian group canceled a $1.2 billion purchase contract. Delek Group, which alongside Noble Energy holds an 85 percent stake in the Leviathan project, said it received a "conditioned cancellation notice of the natural gas supply agreement from the Leviathan project to Palestine Power Generation Co." Leviathan is one of the largest regional gas fields, with an estimated 18 trillion cubic feet of reserves. Development was curtailed in late 2014 when the Israel Antitrust Authority said Delek Group and its partners at Noble Energy held a monopoly over all of the gas reservoirs off the nation’s coast. Both companies also control the nearby Tamar, estimated to hold as much as 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Delek in a statement […]

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KRG tanker unloads in Israel after abandoning US delivery

The view from the deck of the United Kalavryta, in this undated photo on the website of owner Marine Management Services M.C. The oil tanker at the center of a lawsuit over Kurdistan’s autonomous exports appears to have unloaded at the port of Ashkelon, having abandoned its quest to deliver crude to the U.S.The United Kalavryta, carrying more than 1 million barrels of oil produced and exported by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), sailed away from Texas in late January.It arrived at the Israeli port of Asheklon, where several other KRG-chartered tankers have unloaded their cargoes, and was last seen by …

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Delek: Credit OK despite Israeli cartel claims

Credit rating stable despite evolving antitrust issues in Israeli offshore gas fields, Delek Group says. Photo by James Jones Jr./UPI TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 31 (UPI) — The ruling from the Israeli Antitrust Authority on regional natural gas monopolies had no impact on credit ratings, energy company Delek Group disclosed. A note from Midroog, a subsidiary of Moody’s rating agency, reviewed Delek in the wake of the ruling that a monopoly exists over Israeli natural gas reserves. Delek supplied the findings in a Tuesday release, saying the financial assessment of the company remained stable. Midroog in its report rated Delek Group at A1, or a low credit risk, and stable. "At this preliminary stage, we are continuing to monitor the developments and their possible implications on the debt rating in the short term and medium term, with emphasis on the company’s financial flexibility, operating strategy and structure of its […]

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In Israel, Antitrust Regulator Reviews Natural Gas Development

LONDON — Israel ’s fledgling natural gas industry was rattled on Tuesday over a threat by the country’s antitrust regulator to break an American-Israeli group’s hold on the country’s gas resources. Israeli officials and the antitrust regulator have said that they are concerned that Noble Energy, a Houston-based oil company, and its partners, Delek Drilling and Avner Oil Exploration, had a lock on Israeli gas production. Noble and its partners produce nearly all of Israel’s gas from an offshore field called Tamar, and that gas is used to generate about half of the country’s electric power. They are also developing an even larger field, Leviathan . Together, Nobel estimates that the Leviathan and Tamar fields hold more than 800 billion cubic meters of gas, enough to meet current Israeli demand for about a century. With such a wealth of gas, the companies and the government are backing plans to […]

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New major gas find offshore Israel

Israeli energy company finds what may be third largest regional natural gas basin. (UPI/Shutterstock/James Jones Jr.) TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 15 (UPI) — An Israeli energy company said it’s discovered what may be the third largest natural gas basin in the country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Minority partner Israel Opportunity said the so-called Royee field may hold around 3.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Located in the eastern Mediterranean, it would be the third largest in the region after the Leviathan and Tamar fields if reserve estimates are correct. The partners developing the giant Leviathan offshore gas field said an audit by Dutch consulting company Sewell and Associates put the reserve estimate at 21.9 trillion cubic feet, up from the previous estimate of around 18.9 trillion cubic feet. Tamar, with an estimated 8.5 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, entered into production in March 2013. Amit Lang, […]

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Israel’s Gas Offers Lifeline for Peace

THE TAMAR PLATFORM, Israel — Alarms rang out across the Tamar natural gas platform off the coast of Israel. The Israeli navy had detected smoky signs that a rocket might have been fired by Hamas from the shores of Gaza. As a voice over the loudspeaker warned to take cover, the crew raced up the metal stairs to a small gym that doubles as an air raid shelter. It turned out to be a false alarm. Natural gas is both a geopolitical tool and a target in Israel, where a newfound bonanza of resources has the potential to improve ties with energy-hungry Egypt, Jordan and even the Palestinian Authority . But the linchpin of this diplomatic push is not an Israeli official, a Middle Eastern king or an American ambassador. It is an oil company in Texas. Noble Energy, the Houston-based company that runs the Tamar platform and is […]

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Syria, Iran condemn Israeli airstrikes

BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers have condemned Israeli airstrikes on two areas near Damascus, calling it an act of aggression that proves Israel was "in the same trench" with extremist groups fighting the Syrian government. Israeli warplanes bombed the two areas Sunday, striking near Damascus’ international airport as well as outside a town close to the Lebanese border. The Syrian government said the attacks caused material damage. Israel has not commented on the strikes. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem claimed Israel was trying to compensate for losses incurred by Islamic extremist groups in Syria at the hands of the Syrian army. He did not elaborate. He spoke Monday at a joint news conference in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

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Israel strikes near the Syrian capital: Syrian TV

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian state television said on Sunday that Israeli jets had bombed areas near Damascus international airport and in the town of Dimas, near the border with Lebanon. An Israeli army spokesman said he would not comment on the "foreign reports". Israel has struck Syria several times since the start of the three-year conflict, mostly destroying weaponry such as missiles that Israeli officials said were destined for their long-time foe Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon. "The Israeli enemy committed aggression against Syria by targeting two safe areas in Damascus province, in all of Dimas and near the Damascus International Airport," state television said, adding that there were no casualties. Residents in Damascus said they heard loud explosions and opposition activists posted photos online of jet streams in the evening sky and fiery explosions. Syria’s army general command said on state television that there were "material losses in some […]

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Israel reconsiders military action against Iran

4728 Votes Israeli official cites “sunset clause” in proposed comprehensive deal, which guarantees Iran a path into the nuclear club and may corner Israel into war. Israel Air Force planes fly over Tel Aviv. Photo By: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT Historic negotiations with Iran will reach an inflection point on Monday, as world powers seek to clinch a comprehensive deal that will, to their satisfaction, end concerns over the nature of its vast, decade-old nuclear program. But sharing details of the deal under discussion with The Jerusalem Post on the eve of the deadline, Israel has issued a stark, public warning to its allies with a clear argument: Current proposals guarantee the perpetuation of a crisis, backing Israel into a corner from which military force against Iran provides the only logical exit. The deal on the table World powers have presented Iran with an accord that would restrict its nuclear […]

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Israel pitches ‘massive’ natural gas pipeline plan to Europe

4727 Votes Israel pitches ‘massive’ natural gas pipeline plan to Europe Israel has proposed that EU countries invest in a multi-billion euro pipeline to carry its natural gas to the continent, noting that the supply from Israel would reduce Europe’s current dependence on natural gas from Russia. A proposal for the “massive” project was introduced by Israel’s Energy Minister Silvan Shalom to energy ministers from Euro-Mediterranean countries who met in Rome earlier this week, Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Thursday. It said the project would require a multi-billion euro investment from Europe to build a pipeline from Israel’s Mediterranean cost to Cyprus, from where the gas would be carried on to Greece and Italy. The TV report said Cyprus, Greece and Italy were all supportive of the idea, and that Israel would make a formal presentation of the project to European representatives in Brussels in three weeks’ time. Gas rigs in the […]

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Report: Israel wants more U.S. gas partners

Israeli delegate in Houston hoping to drum up interest in offshore natural gas potential. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian Amit Lang, director general of the Israeli Ministry of Economy , told the Houston Chronicle that U.S. companies "might find gold" in the form of natural gas through partnerships in Israel. "All the predictions say that our gas discoveries are not done," he said in an interview published Sunday. In September, Israel’s Delek Group, alongside U.S. energy company Noble Energy, signed an agreement with the National Electric Power Co. of Jordan for natural gas deliveries from the Leviathan natural gas field off the Israeli coast to the delight of the U.S. State Department . "We probably have more gas around the Leviathan," Lang said. "And we need more companies to come get licenses for exploration." The State Department facilitated talks between the parties in February that led to the signing of a similar […]

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Noble gas output from Israel up 21 percent

Houston-based energy explorer Noble Energy sees output growing from Israeli offshore gas basins. (File/UPI/A.J. Sisco) HOUSTON, Oct. 28 (UPI) — Energy explorer Noble Energy said Tuesday production during the third quarter soared because of advancements off the coast of Israel. Noble, a partner in the development of the Tamar and Leviathan gas basins, said gas sales volumes from its Israeli assets were up 21 percent from the second quarter and up 3 percent year-on-year. Tamar managing partners Noble and Israel’s Delek Group estimate the field holds as much as 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Last week, they said they were negotiating the sale of at least 175 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year over the next three years with Egyptian buyer Dolphinus Holdings Ltd. During the third quarter, the company said the "debottlenecking" of Tamar facilities led to a peak product of more than 1.1 […]

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Egypt slated to get Israeli natural gas

Partners in control of one of Israel’s largest offshore gas fields announce export plans for Egypt. (UPI/Shutterstock/James Jones Jr.) The partnership in control of one of the largest natural gas basins off the coast of Israel announced their intention to sign an export deal with Egypt. The consortium in charge of the Tamar natural gas field, led by Texas company Noble Energy and Israel’s Delek Group, said Sunday they’re negotiating the sale of at least 175 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year over the next three years with Egyptian buyer Dolphinus Holdings Ltd. The partners managing Tamar estimate the field holds as much as 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Gas from Tamar would run through a pipeline system managed by Israel Gas lines to Ashkelon and then through a system managed by East Mediterranean Gas Ltd. for marketing to customers in Egypt. Delek said gas […]

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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 […]

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Israel’s Top Oil Supplier Endures Gaza as Azeri Ties Grow

What started as a marriage of convenience has netted Israel its closest Muslim ally. The majority Shiite nation of Azerbaijan is the biggest supplier of oil to Israel, which reciprocates by selling sophisticated arms including missile systems and drones. While the flow of oil in exchange for advanced weapons is the backbone of the alliance, a confluence of interests is propelling the former Soviet republic on the Caspian Sea closer to Israel, often in defiance of discontent at home and dismay among neighbors Iran and Turkey. Tested by Israel’s 50-day military offensive in the Gaza Strip , which sparked protests among Azeris, President Ilham Aliyev is throwing his lot in with Israel to maintain a military edge in a quarter-century-long conflict with Armenia . Azerbaijan, which together with Armenia also buys Russian weapons, benefits from access to advanced technology from Israel as part of $3.7 billion in annual spending […]

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Israel Steals Gaza’s Offshore Natural Gas

While Gazans suffer from daily power shutdowns, Israel is signing an important deal to sell gas to Jordan, gas which, researchers say, was stolen from Palestinians. In addition to confiscating Palestine’s energy resources, Israel has destroyed Gaza’s only power station in its latest military offensive. Photo: “Gaza electricity; ‘enemy of the (Jewish) state’” wrote the Middle East Online during the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead. While Gazans suffer from daily power shutdowns, Israel is signing an important deal to sell gas to Jordan, gas which, researchers say, was stolen from Palestinians. In addition to confiscating Palestine’s energy resources, Israel has destroyed Gaza’s only power station in its latest military offensive. On July 29, 2014, RT reported: Over a million people in Gaza could be without electricity after Israeli tank shells hit the fuel depot of the enclave’s only power station, causing it to shut down. Its director, Mohammed al-Sharif, said, […]

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U.S. government welcomes Israeli gas deal

Israel’s Delek Group, alongside U.S. energy company Noble Energy, signed the letter with the National Electric Power Co. of Jordan for natural gas deliveries from the Leviathan natural gas field off the Israeli cost. The U.S. State Department said it facilitated talks between the parties in February that led to the signing of a similar deal for gas from Israel’s offshore gas field, Tamar. Acting Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein was on hand for a signing ceremony for Leviathan, hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Alice Wells. "This letter of intent [on Leviathan] marks the beginning of the second phase of the project, and represents an important step towards promoting peace and prosperity in the Middle East by encouraging collaboration to overcome energy challenges," the State Department said in a Thursday statement. Leviathan, with an estimated 18 trillion cubic feet of gas, should go onstream in […]

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Jordan secures gas exports from Israel

Israel’s Delek Group signed the letter with the National Electric Power Co. of Jordan. "The estimate scope of the binding agreement [outlined in the letter] is for the supply of an overall amount of 45 billion cubic meters [1.6 trillion cubic feet] over a period of 15 years," the Israeli company said. Jordan in the past has struggled to find a reliable source of natural gas in part because of downstream problems in Egypt. In February, Jordanian companies Arab Potash and Jordan Bromine secured a total gross quantity of 66 billion cubic feet of natural gas from the Tamar field, also located off the Israeli coast Leviathan, with an estimated 18 trillion cubic feet of gas, should go onstream in 2016. Much of the reserves from the offshore field are already designated for exports to regional customers. Tamar is estimated to hold as much as 10 trillion cubic feet […]

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Israel Plans to Sell Natural Gas to Jordan

A group of Israeli companies has signed a preliminary deal to export natural gas from the country’s offshore Leviathan field to Jordan. Reuters JERUSALEM—A group of Israeli energy companies said Wednesday they have signed a letter of intent to sell natural gas to a Jordanian power company, in a potentially multibillion-dollar deal that could strengthen ties between the two Middle East neighbors. The Israeli companies said they would supply 45 billion cubic meters of gas over 15 years from the offshore Leviathan field to Jordan’s state-owned National Electric Power Co. The companies—which include U.S.-based Noble Energy Inc. ‘s Noble Energy Mediterranean Ltd. unit, along with Israel’s Delek Drilling LP, Avner Oil Exploration LP and Ratio Oil Exploration LP—didn’t disclose the value of the deal. Delek Drilling and Avner declined to comment on the deal. Israeli media have reported that the deal is valued at roughly $15 billion. The Israeli […]

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Israel Nears Gas Sales to Egypt as Mideast Unrest Flares

In the midst of some of the worst Middle East tensions in a decade, one-time enemies Egypt and Israel are negotiating deals that may mean the sale of $60 billion in Israeli natural gas to liquefaction plants in Egypt. The talks come as Israel resumes air strikes on Gaza after Hamas, which the U.S. and the European Union classify as a terrorist group, fired rockets following a breakdown in Egypt’s efforts to broker a cease-fire. The move is all the more improbable because Egypt — little more than a year ago — was under the sway of the Muslim Brotherhood, which had begun to steer the country away from viewing Israel as a trading partner. Noble Energy Inc. (NBL) and units of Israel’s Delek Group Ltd. (DLEKG) plan to deliver as much as 6.25 trillion cubic feet of gas from the Tamar and Leviathan offshore fields to LNG facilities […]

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Iran leader calls for arming Gaza to fight Israel

Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday called on Muslims from around the world to help arm Gaza Palestinians in their fight against Israel. The call by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was his latest such message during the ongoing war between Gaza’s Hamas rulers and Israel. Khamenei claims that while Israel and America seek to disarm Hamas, Iran says "the opposite … the Muslim World has a duty to arm the Palestinian nation by all means." Iran, a staunch Hamas ally, does not recognize Israel and supports militant anti-Israeli groups such as the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah group. Iran does not recognize Israel and has considered the Jewish state its archenemy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Western-backed monarchy and brought clerics to power Khamenei spoke at a prayer ceremony in Tehran as Shiite Iranians marked the beginning of Eid al-Fitr holiday that follows […]

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Israelis barely break stride under missile shield

Civilians take cover in an air raid shelter in Sderot, south Israel, as several rockets are fired from the Gaza Strip Several large booms rang out over Ashkelon, southern Israel, on Monday afternoon as Israel fired interceptor missiles from its Iron Dome defence system to destroy incoming rockets fired by militants in the Gaza Strip, 7km away. The sound has become common across Israel since it began its war in Gaza two weeks ago; people shopping near a crowded town centre shopping mall did not break their stride. More On this story On this topic IN Arab-Israel conflict As of Monday, Hamas and other Gaza-based militants had shot 154 rockets into Ashkelon, a seaside city of 137,000, since Israel’s Operation Protective Edge began. Of these, 85 were intercepted and blown to pieces mid-air by Iron Dome; one of the few that landed in a populated area where residents were […]

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Israeli Invasion of Gaza Is Likely, Official Says; Brief Cease-Fire Is Set

TEL AVIV — Even as Israel and Hamas agreed to suspend hostilities briefly on Thursday at the request of the United Nations, a senior Israeli military official said that his government was increasingly likely to order a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip that it had hoped to avoid. Though Israel initially set limited goals of halting the rocket assaults against it and degrading Hamas, the Islamist movement that dominates Gaza, the group’s tenacity and surprisingly deep arsenal have led to widespread calls to expand the mission. The military official said only “boots on the ground” could eradicate terrorism from Gaza and indicated that Israel was even considering a long-term reoccupation of the coastal territory. But with the Palestinian death toll reaching 214 on Wednesday, Israel and the Gaza militants agreed to end the violence for five hours on Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For Israel, it […]

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Israel to reap rewards of gas reserves

Israel will be able to reap the benefits of energy independence through growing gas reserves at the offshore Leviathan gas field, a development executive said. The partners developing the giant Leviathan offshore gas field said an audit by Dutch consulting company Sewell and Associates put the reserve estimate at 21.9 trillion cubic feet, up from the previous estimate of around 18.9 trillion cubic feet. Gideon Tadmor, board chairman at Delek Drilling and chief executive officer at Avner Oil Exploration — two of the project’s developers — said the revision "will ensure us energy independence for decades to come, and an expansion of export options, with all the accompanying economic and geopolitical benefits." Leviathan should go onstream in 2016, with much of the offshore field’s reserves already designated for exports to regional customers. Noble Energy, another drilling partner, this year signed export contracts for gas from the Leviathan and nearby […]

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Egypt Would Approve BG’s Israel Gas Deal If Local Demand is Met

Egypt is willing to approve a potential deal allowing BG Group PLC to import natural gas from Israel for its local facility if the parties involved agree to help meet the country’s domestic demand at a reasonable price, officials familiar with the matter said Monday. "Things are different in Egypt now and we see no issue in this deal if it is beneficial for the country," a senior oil official told The Wall Street Journal, referring to the recent change in government in Egypt that saw Abdel Fattah Al Sisi elected president. "We will give our approval on the deal if some of the gas is fed to the domestic market and is reasonably priced," the official said. The partners in Israel’s giant Leviathan natural gas field said last month they had signed a preliminary agreement with BG Group, a British oil and gas company, to […]

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Egypt Would Approve BG's Israel Gas Deal If Local Demand is Met

Egypt is willing to approve a potential deal allowing BG Group PLC to import natural gas from Israel for its local facility if the parties involved agree to help meet the country’s domestic demand at a reasonable price, officials familiar with the matter said Monday. "Things are different in Egypt now and we see no issue in this deal if it is beneficial for the country," a senior oil official told The Wall Street Journal, referring to the recent change in government in Egypt that saw Abdel Fattah Al Sisi elected president. "We will give our approval on the deal if some of the gas is fed to the domestic market and is reasonably priced," the official said. The partners in Israel’s giant Leviathan natural gas field said last month they had signed a preliminary agreement with BG Group, a British oil and gas company, to […]

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Israel, EU envision environmental and energy ties

A new framework for cooperation between the European Union and Israel extends to the realm of energy and environmental protection, a top EU official said. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso met Sunday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to sign a partnership agreement through the so-called Horizon 2020 program. With a budget of more than $100 billion over the next seven years, the Horizon program is billed by the European Union as the largest research and innovation program of its kind in the world. "Israel is a strong player in research and innovation and for this reason an important partner for the EU to address societal challenges of common concern, such as aging, food safety, environment protection or cleaner energy, and to strengthen the competitiveness of our industries," Barroso said in a statement. The European Commission said the association agreement with Israel has "a very broad […]

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Israeli gas may be bound for Egypt

Noble Energy said it was considering sending as much as 440 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Tamar field offshore Israel to a plant in Egypt. Noble and its field partners at Tamar signed a non-binding letter of intent with Union Fenosa Gas to deliver natural gas to a facility that can turn it into super-cooled liquefied natural gas. The letter of intent spells out a 15-year term for a total 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas from Tamar. "This LOI with Union Fenosa Gas represents a major milestone for our Tamar asset and is indicative of the strong regional demand for natural gas," Keith Elliot, Noble’s vice president in charge of regional operations, said in a statement Tuesday. Spanish company UFG holds an 80 percent stake in the subsidiary controlling the Damietta LNG facility in Egypt. It has […]

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Levant basin rich in reserves for Israel

Oz license area off the coast of Tel Aviv thought to be rich in oil and gas. JERUSALEM, April 28 (UPI) — While less than the Tamar and Leviathan prospects off the Israeli coast, the Oz license area may hold significant deposits of oil and gas, a study finds. Sewell & Associates, a Dutch oil and gas consulting company, finds the Oz license area, about 30 miles off the coast of Tel Aviv, may hold more than 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 93 million barrels of oil. Roni Halman, chairman of Oz license partner Israel Opportunity, said Saturday the estimates beat early expectations. "The Levant basin is rich with gas, and we believe also in oil, which has a huge potential," he said . Though considerable, Oz holds less than the giant Leviathan and Tamar basins off the Israeli coast. Production at Tamar began last year. […]

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Noble Energy sees remarkable progress offshore Israel

Developments made at the Leviathan natural gas field off the coast of Israel have been "remarkable," Noble Energy Chairman Charles Davidson said Thursday.Noble this year signed export contracts for gas from the Leviathan and nearby Tamar natural gas fields with Jordanian and Palestinian authorities. Davidson said in a quarterly statement Thursday larger contracts are expected to follow during the next several fiscal quarters. "The progress we have made recently regarding the Leviathan project offshore Israel has been remarkable, and we are close to executing a number of domestic and regional export sales agreements to support the field’s development," he said in a statement . Tamar, with an estimated 8.5 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, entered into production in March 2013. Leviathan, with an estimated 18 trillion cubic feet of gas, should go onstream in 2016. Australian energy company Woodside Petroleum last month balked […]

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Israeli Gas Holds Promise of Better Ties with Neighbors

Israel’s drive to export its new-found natural gas could help to rebuild strained ties with old regional allies Egypt and Turkey, but could deprive Europe of a precious alternative to Russian gas. Israel has in recent months already signed energy deals with Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, though relations with the Palestinians are at a low ebb, and now needs to expand its export horizons to cash in on its huge energy discoveries. If all goes well, the latest developments could see first pipelines being laid between Israel and Turkey as soon as 2015, and gas cooperation between Israel and Egypt is also emerging, which would allow export access to Asia’s major markets. A growing population and soaring demand have left Egypt’s own liquefied natural gas export (LNG) plants in need of new supply, as domestic shortages eat into seaborne exports through the Suez […]

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Australia’s Woodside balks on Israel’s Leviathan field

Australian energy company Woodside Petroluem said a February agreement to sign a deal to enter the Leviathan gas field off the Israeli coast was on hold. Woodside said in a statement the parties to a memorandum of understanding — Noble Energy Mediterranean Ltd, Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration LP and Ratio Oil Exploration — haven’t settled the terms of a deal announced last month. "Discussions continue with the parties and the Israeli government with a view to resolving the remaining issues and executing definitive agreements," the Australian company said in a statement Thursday. The February arrangement would have granted Woodside a 25 percent stake in the field, one of the largest in the world. The company balked over Israeli tax policy, saying its profits from Leviathan should be tax free. The Israeli government, however, said Woodside’s stake should be seen as a capital investment and […]

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Australia's Woodside balks on Israel's Leviathan field

Australian energy company Woodside Petroluem said a February agreement to sign a deal to enter the Leviathan gas field off the Israeli coast was on hold. Woodside said in a statement the parties to a memorandum of understanding — Noble Energy Mediterranean Ltd, Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration LP and Ratio Oil Exploration — haven’t settled the terms of a deal announced last month. "Discussions continue with the parties and the Israeli government with a view to resolving the remaining issues and executing definitive agreements," the Australian company said in a statement Thursday. The February arrangement would have granted Woodside a 25 percent stake in the field, one of the largest in the world. The company balked over Israeli tax policy, saying its profits from Leviathan should be tax free. The Israeli government, however, said Woodside’s stake should be seen as a capital investment and […]

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Israeli Strikes on Syrian Army Sites Raise Concern About Entanglement

Israeli airstrikes against several Syrian Army positions across the decades-old cease-fire line in the Golan Heights on Wednesday came as a specific response to a bomb attack against Israeli forces along the frontier a day earlier, according to Israeli officials. But for many here, the unusually sharp exchange signaled the possibility of a broader Israeli slide into regional turmoil. The airstrikes, against a Syrian Army training facility, a military headquarters and artillery batteries, were the first in Syrian territory that Israel has openly acknowledged since the Syrian civil war began three years ago. The bombing on Tuesday that prompted the strikes was the first to cause Israeli casualties, wounding four soldiers, one severely. Both events raised the stakes along a frontier that has been largely quiet for […]

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Israel bombs Syrian posts over Golan attack on its troops

Israel attacked several Syrian military sites on Wednesday in retaliation for a roadside bombing that wounded four of its troops on the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, the Israeli military said. It said targets included a Syrian military headquarters, a training facility and artillery batteries. Aircraft carried out the overnight strike, said Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman. He described targets as military facilities on the Syrian-held side of the Golan. Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized abroad. Tuesday’s wounding of the soldiers as they patrolled the separation line on the strategic plateau marked Israel’s worst casualties there since an insurgency erupted in Syria more than three years ago. Israel blamed Damascus for the roadside bombing, though parts of the Syrian-held side of the Golan are controlled by rebels, including al Qaeda-inspired militants […]

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Israeli partners mull $750 million deal for Tamar gas

Partners operating the Tamar gas field off the Israeli coast said Monday a deal is in the works to sell gas to a company building an Israeli power plant. Israeli energy company Delek Group said its board of directors authorized managers to sign a take-or-pay deal with its partners at the Tamar field with subsidiary Delek Soreq, which is building the plant, "in the coming days." Delek Group said Monday the $750 million deal is for 116 billion cubic feet of natural gas. "The supply of natural gas is expected to commence in the beginning of the first quarter of 2016 for the period of more than 15 years or up until the contracted quantity has been utilized," Delek Group said in a statement Monday. Noble Energy, which has headquarters in Texas, holds a 36 percent stake in the Tamar field. Delek […]

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Hezbollah says Israel bombed its positions

Hezbollah says Israel carried out an airstrike targeting its positions in Lebanon near the border with Syria earlier this week, claiming it caused damage but no casualties. The Wednesday statement was the group’s first acknowledgement of the reported Monday night airstrikes. Hezbollah said the attack was near the eastern Lebanese village of Janta. It vowed to retaliate but said it will "choose the appropriate time and place." Lebanon’s state news agency has reported that Israeli aircraft carried out the strikes. Israel has refused to confirm them. Hezbollah, allied to President Bashar Assad in Syria, has been fighting alongside his troops in areas near the border. This was the first reported Israeli airstrike inside Lebanese territory since the start of Syria’s conflict three years ago. Israel has fired artillery across the border. © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be […]

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Israeli Warplanes Strike Near the Border of Syria and Lebanon

Israeli warplanes launched two raids near the Syrian-Lebanese border late Monday, according to Lebanon ’s National News Agency, raising speculation that Israel might have targeted a weapons convoy to prevent the Syrian government from delivering missiles to its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah . Israel has struck Syria at least three times in the past year, according to United States officials, to prevent sophisticated weapons from reaching Hezbollah amid the chaos of Syria ’s war. Neither Syria nor Hezbollah has retaliated. The potential significance of Monday’s strike depended on whether the raids hit Syrian or Lebanese territory, which was not immediately clear. Analysts said it would be politically harder for Hezbollah to refrain from striking back if Israel, its longtime enemy, had struck inside Lebanon. An Israeli strike inside Lebanon would also represent a further escalation in the regional involvement in — and spillover from — the Syrian […]

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Israel has $500M gas deal with Jordan, but wider exports still unclear

Israel has signed its first gas export deal, selling gas worth $500 million to Arab peace partner Jordan, but debate is still unresolved on whether the Jewish state will export the bulk of its gas via undersea pipeline or by tanker as liquefied natural gas. The gas that will go to Jordan, Israel’s eastern neighbor, from the Tamar field in the eastern Mediterranean under the 15-year contract signed Wednesday will be pumped via pipeline to two of the Hashemite kingdom’s chemical companies, Arab Potash and its subsidiary Jordan Bromine, at their facilities on the Dead Sea. Stakeholders in the Tamar field, headed by Noble Energy of Houston, Tex., and its Israeli partners Delek Group and Avner Oil & Gas, signed a 20-year gas supply deal with the Palestinian Authority in January for a planned power station in the West Bank. Technically, the […]

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Energy Firms in Talks to Sell Israeli Gas to Egypt

Israel’s recently discovered offshore natural gas is generating momentum for politically important supply deals that could alleviate energy shortages in Jordan and Egypt. The drilling consortium led by Israel’s Delek Group Ltd. and Texas-based Noble Energy said Wednesday it signed a deal to supply gas to chemical companies in Jordan, marking Israel’s first energy export deal and bolstering ties between the neighboring countries. The same offshore drilling group is holding initial talks on a much larger supply deal with Egypt, people familiar with the matter said. Drillers announced two Mediterranean finds in recent years with some 650 billion cubic meters of gas. Flush with energy reserves that could last for decades, Israel has been considering exports to several countries in the eastern Mediterranean including Cyprus and Turkey. Despite the modest size of the deal with Jordan, it has important geopolitical implications. It was the focus of talks between King […]

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Woodside to Invest Up to $2.6 Billion in Israeli Gas Venture

Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (WPL) , Australia’s second-largest oil producer, plans to buy a quarter of Israel ’s biggest natural gas field under a revised agreement for as much as $2.6 billion as demand rises in the Middle East . Woodside agreed to pay Noble Energy Inc. (NBL) and its venture partners an initial $850 million when the deal is completed, due by the end of next month, the Perth-based company said today in a statement. The stake is smaller than the 30 percent negotiated in December 2012, worth as much as $2.3 billion, though the size of the resource estimate has risen to 18.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas from 17 trillion cubic feet. A deal would put Woodside in the middle of Israel’s nascent natural gas industry as the company’s proposed projects in Australia face delays. Woodside’s original agreement in December 2012 was held up because of […]

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Palestinian utility secures Leviathan natural gas

Partners developing the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea said Monday a Palestinian utility company is the first to secure a supply contract. Delek Drilling Ltd. and Avner Oil Exploration said they signed a 20-year supply agreement with the Palestine Power Generation Co. "According to the agreement, the purchaser will acquire natural gas from the sellers for power plant operating needs that the purchaser intends to build near Jenin in the northern West Bank," the developers said in a statement. Delek and Avner said the Palestinian company secured 167 billion cubic feet of natural gas from Leviathan under the terms of the agreement. Natural gas prices will be pegged to market prices for Brent crude oil. Delek and Avner said the deal is dependent on development of Leviathan and applicable regulations. Leviathan, with 18 trillion cubic feet of natural gas […]

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Hezbollah Upgrades Missile Threat to Israel

U.S. officials believe members of Hezbollah, the militant group backed by Iran, are smuggling advanced guided-missile systems into Lebanon from Syria piece by piece to evade a secretive Israeli air campaign designed to stop them. The moves illustrate how both Hezbollah and Israel are using Syria’s civil war as cover for what increasingly is seen as a complex and high-stakes race to prepare for another potential conflict—their own—in ways that could alter the region’s military balance. Some components of a powerful antiship missile system have already been moved to Lebanon, according to previously undisclosed intelligence, while other systems that could target Israeli aircraft, ships and bases are being stored in expanded weapons depots under Hezbollah control in Syria, say current and former U.S. officials. Such guided weapons would be a major step up from the "dumb" rockets and missiles Hezbollah now has stockpiled, and could sharply increase the group’s […]

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Hezbollah Moving Long-Range Missiles From Syria to Lebanon, an Analyst Says

Amid the chaos of Syria ’s civil war, Hezbollah has been moving long-range missiles to Lebanon from bases where it had stored them inside Syria, including long-range Scud D missiles that can strike deep into Israel , according to an Israeli national security analyst. The analyst, Ronen Bergman, who has close contacts with Israeli intelligence officials, said Thursday that despite Israel’s undeclared campaign of airstrikes in Syria to stop new deliveries, most of the long-range surface-to-surface missiles given to Hezbollah by its allies Iran and Syria have been disassembled and moved to Lebanon. American intelligence analysts have also concluded that members of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia, are smuggling components of advanced Russian-made antiship missile systems piecemeal into Lebanon from war-stricken Syria to avoid an Israeli air campaign, a United States official said Thursday. As many as 12 Russian-made antiship cruise missile systems may now be […]

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Israeli fuel strategy leans on gas

Israeli fuel strategy leans on gas Israel plans to cut oil use in transportation by 60 percent by 2025, an aggressive target by world standards, and will tap into its newfound natural gas deposits to make it happen. It is also investing heavily to help start-ups developing battery and biofuel technologies, and is offering an annual $1 million (R10.34 million) prize to innovators in the field, almost on par with winning a Nobel. Eyal Rosner, spokesman for the project in prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, said: “The intent is to make Israel a power centre that has knowledge and industry in the field, and from there to serve as a catalyst for the rest of the world in making the switch. The Fuel Choices Initiative programme has a 10-year budget of 1.5 billion shekels (R4.44 billion). Rosner switching from oil would bring consumer […]

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