Syria: Did you know? 1 billion barrels of oil (or more) recently discovered in Golan Heights.

[grahamhgreen]

Economist: http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21677597-geologists-israel-think-they-have-found-oilin-very-tricky-territory-black-gold

A RIG carrying out exploratory drilling is hardly a rare sight in the Middle East; but this is no ordinary place. Israeli flags fly on it, though no other country in the world recognises Israel’s sovereignty over the area. A few miles to the east, jihadist rebel groups are fighting a bloody war. And few people ever expected that significant amounts of oil might lie there at all, under a dormant volcanic field. Welcome to the Golan Heights.

Israeli and American oilmen believe they have discovered a bonanza in this most inconvenient of sites. After three test-drillings, Yuval Bartov, the chief geologist of Genie Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of American-based Genie Energy, says his company thinks it has found an oil reservoir “with the potential of billions of barrels”.

https://www.rt.com/business/317906-oil-golan-heights-israel/

"A big oil deposit has been found in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, with enough reserves to last Israel for decades, according to the country's media.

The Israeli presence in the Golan Heights is in dispute. The region is internationally recognized Syrian territory that has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and several Arab states. UN Resolution 242 (1967) demands the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the territories occupied in the conflict. Israel disagrees with the wording of the resolution, saying the territories are disputable."


Edit: Added Economist link

[guillaumeb]

1. Step One: Israel steals land.

Step Two: Israel defies International Law by keeping stolen land.
Step Three: Israel brands all criticism of the land theft and refusal to follow International Law as anti-Semitism.
Step Four: The US shields Israel from any consequences.

All the while Palestinians are murdered and the US media ignores the issue. This is the true history of Israel that cannot be discussed in the media.

[2naSalit]

3. +1!

[oberliner]

4. The Israeli cabinet voted to return the Golan to Syria in exchange for a peace agreement

The response was the Khartoum Resolution.

"no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it..."

[valerief]

7. +2

[Peregrine]

11. Let me know if I get this wrong

Leading up to the 67 war, Syria routinely fired artillery and rockets into Israel from the Golan Heights. Where was international law then?
In 67, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Palestinians attacked Israel. Where was International law?
Israel defeated the invaders and held strategic territory. I guess there shouldn't be any consequences for invading a country and losing.
Then in 73, they did it again and almost succeeded, bet you were bummed when they lost again. What kind of sanctions did the UN apply to the Arab countries--demanding that Israel return to pre-67 borders.

[guillaumeb]

14. Nearly all incorrect.

In 1967, Israel pre-emptively attacked numerous Arab nations, claiming imminent danger. The inspiration for the "preemptive self-defense theory used by George W. Bush to justify his attack of Afghanistan and Iraq. (Oh well, any defense in a pinch I suppose.)

You might be interested in this:

Before attempting any more of the airstrikes that “have worked well for us three or four times,” Yadlin said, Israel needed to ask itself whether it could “deal with the escalation that could develop. It reminds me to a certain extent of the years before the Six Day War” — the 1967 war in which Israel preempted Arab attacks and captured the Golan Heights from Syria, as well as territory from Jordan and Egypt.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-syria-tensions-remind-me-of-pre-1967-war-period-says-ex-intel-chief/

The Yadlin referred to in the article is Maj.-Gen (ret.) Amos Yadlin, a one-time fighter pilot, ex-head of IDF Military Intelligence and former Israeli military attaché to the US who now heads a prestigious Tel Aviv think tank. Hardly a critic of Israel.


There is no "strategic territory" concept to claim. That is a fiction used to justify land theft, and settlement on the stolen land. All of these concepts are illegal under International Law. (Again, any defense if needed.)

As to International Law, the UN and other agencies have all agreed that Israel has no claim to the land that it stole. The theft began in 1967 and continues to this day in Palestine. The US defends Israel by vetoing any proposed actions.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

25. minus one

Step Minus One: Syria uses Golan Heights as artillery platform to launch shells into Israel.
Step Zero: Syria joins Egypt in a war against Israel.
Revised Step One: Syria loses Golan Heights due to their inept attempt at war.

[KamaAina]

2. So says Putin's propaganda machine.

In the reality-based world, drilling in the Golan is in the exploratory phase.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights#Hydrocarbon_exploration

In 2012, National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau approved exploratory drilling for oil and natural gas in the Golan. The following year, the Petroleum Council of Israel's Ministry of Energy and Water Resources awarded a drilling license covering half the area of the Golan Heights to a local subsidiary of New Jersey-based Genie Energy Ltd. headed by Effi Eitam.

[grahamhgreen]

10. Economist:

A RIG carrying out exploratory drilling is hardly a rare sight in the Middle East; but this is no ordinary place. Israeli flags fly on it, though no other country in the world recognises Israel’s sovereignty over the area. A few miles to the east, jihadist rebel groups are fighting a bloody war. And few people ever expected that significant amounts of oil might lie there at all, under a dormant volcanic field. Welcome to the Golan Heights.

Israeli and American oilmen believe they have discovered a bonanza in this most inconvenient of sites. After three test-drillings, Yuval Bartov, the chief geologist of Genie Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of American-based Genie Energy, says his company thinks it has found an oil reservoir “with the potential of billions of barrels”.

[guillaumeb]

15. In the "reality-based world" of which you speak,

does anything justify Israel stealing the Golan Heights and also stealing Syrian oil?

[oberliner]

17. Does anything justify Syria not accepting the return of the Golan Heights in exchange for peace?

Just curious what your take on that is from the reality-based world.

[guillaumeb]

21. When you say peace, are you referring to a peace based solely on

Israeli preconditions? That would be similar to me stealing your auto and then refusing to return the vehicle unless or until you agreed to certain conditions.

[KamaAina]

19. Nope. But I never stipulated that Israel was living in a reality-based world, either.

[guillaumeb]

22. Also true. eom

[ananda]

5. Sometimes I just wish ...

... there were no oil in the world.

[tkmorris]

6. The sourcing of this is highly suspect

[valerief]

8. What about Daily Mail?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3265023/Discovery-oil-ISRAEL-means-Jewish-state-soon-produce-significant-quantities-black-gold-potentially-change-face-Middle-East.html

Discovery of oil in ISRAEL means the Jewish state could soon produce 'significant quantities' of 'black gold'... and potentially change the face of the Middle East

Breakthrough made in the Golan Heights close to the border with Syria
Layers of oil are thought to be ten times thicker than the global average
Oil company is backed by Dick Cheney and media mogul Rupert Murdoch
Experts say they won't know quantity or quality until they begin extracting

By Simon Tomlinson for MailOnline

Published: 10:15 EST, 8 October 2015 | Updated: 12:14 EST, 8 October 2015

[KamaAina]

12. On the map, the site looks to be close to Israel proper

close enough to slant-drill into it the way Saddam did to Kuwait's fields.

[guillaumeb]

16. Interesting that the map you use does not name

the territory East of Israel. I refer to that big space between Israel and Jordan. Is it empty land, or does it have a name? Israel also steals resources from that territory. Looks like a pattern to me.

[oberliner]

18. That's the map used in the Daily Mail article linked above

Maybe direct your comments to that source?

[guillaumeb]

20. But the pattern of land and resource theft remains constant.

It is the history of the Israeli State since 1948. Land theft, appropriation of resources, ignoring International Law, and claiming that criticism is rooted in anti-Semitism.

[HoneychildMooseMoss]

26. That area you're referring to is called the West Bank

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli-occupied_territories

[guillaumeb]

29. It WAS called Palestine at one time.

After 1948, the history of that area was rewritten.

[grahamhgreen]

9. Adding The Economist link:

A RIG carrying out exploratory drilling is hardly a rare sight in the Middle East; but this is no ordinary place. Israeli flags fly on it, though no other country in the world recognises Israel’s sovereignty over the area. A few miles to the east, jihadist rebel groups are fighting a bloody war. And few people ever expected that significant amounts of oil might lie there at all, under a dormant volcanic field. Welcome to the Golan Heights.

Israeli and American oilmen believe they have discovered a bonanza in this most inconvenient of sites. After three test-drillings, Yuval Bartov, the chief geologist of Genie Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of American-based Genie Energy, says his company thinks it has found an oil reservoir “with the potential of billions of barrels”.


http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21677597-geologists-israel-think-they-have-found-oilin-very-tricky-territory-black-gold

[DFW]

13. I hope it comes up dry

That way, reason #4,362 to kill more people in the area will be nullified.

[Scuba]

23. K&R

[bemildred]

24. As other people note, this story is mainly found in Israeli-friendly media.

I take that to mean that it is probably full of confirmation bias, and the actual amount of oil to be found there is still unknown, but there is some.

[grahamhgreen]

27. All the more reason to commit to boots on the ground in Syria!

[Snow Leopard]

28. Awesome for Israel

Maybe we don't need to keep sending them billions now?

[Octafish]

30. Matches the natural gas found off Gaza Strip.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/middle-east-unrest/why-gaza-isnt-likely-benefit-gas-boom-anytime-soon-n178621