Russia may exclude Israel from Blue Stream-2 gas pipeline project

[Kshasty]

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday Israel may be excluded from the Blue Stream-2 gas pipeline project as it has uncovered its own gas deposits.

Russia and Turkey agreed last March to build the second leg of the Blue Stream pipeline, linking the two countries via the Black Sea, to pump Russian gas to Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus.

Putin said that there was information that Israel has found gas shelves on its territory and therefore "it is unlikely to need this gas".

http://en.rian.ru/world/20100608/159345416.html

[Wizard777]

1. This should be done. Israel's Gas reserves are running out.

But Gaza has a huge reserve off it's coast. By international law this Natural resource belongs to the people of Gaza. Not Israel, Fatah, or Hamas. Military conquest does not change the ownership of the Natural Resources. But this exclusion would help to force an Israeli dependence upon Gaza's Natural Gas. This in turn providing Gaza with a small more Peaceful Strategic Security. If they need act against Israel. They can turn off the Natural Gas instead of firing rusty rickety rocket into Israel. The world needs to realize and accept the Yin & Yan relationship between Israel and Palestine. So we need to place the heart of yin in yan and the heart of yan in yin to keep them from destroying each other.

[psychopomp]

2. Good point, though I doubt Israel has a problem with ignoring international law

[Wizard777]

4. They need to remember Nuremberg.

When we placed the Nazi Party on trial. We placed them on trial with Higher Law. Not violations of International Law. In fact many of the crimes the Nazi's were convicted of and hanged for, including Genocide, did not exist in International Law at that time. The word "Genocide" had just been invented to describe the Nazi's crime against the Jews and others. Higher law is just another way of saying any human being should know better.

[azurnoir]

3. From 2008

Israel has dramatically intensified its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, stepping up air strikes and shelling of the beleaguered coastal strip. UN officials and human rights advocates warn that Gazans now face a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented magnitude with widespread disease and famine rapidly becoming reality as electricity generation, water supply, sewage treatment, food supplies and medical services grind to a halt as a consequence of the ever tighter Israeli blockade.

Israel claims its recent moves are retaliation for continued rocket attacks originating in Gaza that despite their consistency cause scant damage and few actual casualties. But the reasons may include motivations with roots back in 2000, when the British firm British Gas Group (BG) discovered proven natural gas reserves of at least 1.3 trillion cubic feet beneath Gazan territorial waters worth nearly $4 billion.*

The Palestinian Investment Fund (PIF), a financial holdings company owned primarily by independent Palestinian shareholders, is investing in the project and heads the negotiations in coordination with Mahmoud Abbas' government in the West Bank. BG won a majority stake in the concession to develop the Gaza Marine Field and originally targeted Egypt for the sale of the natural gas. But pressure from then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair led the company to redirect its efforts toward Israel and develop plans for an underwater pipeline that would transport the gas to an Israeli refinery at Ashkelon. That deal could have eventually provided Israel with approximately 10 percent of its annual energy requirement, and would have generated approximately $1 billion for the PIF. The Hamas election victory in 2006 put all that in jeopardy.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9245.shtml

[Swede]

5. The second huge gas deposit has been discovered in Israel.

The Israelis will have enough gas to start exporting it.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE65209Q20100603?type=marketsNews

That was before they discovered this one.

http://www.jpost.com/Business/BusinessNews/Article.aspx?id=177467

[Wizard777]

6. Europe, Russia and other middle east countries should place an Embargo upon Imports of this Gas.

[azurnoir]

7. Then this is not a big deal right ?

Israel has nothing to complain about

[Wizard777]

8. Lebanon has laid claim to the Gas field Tamar 1.

If it is partially in their waters as they claim. They can side drill it like kuwait did to Iraqi oil fields. It's all perfectly legal. If lebanon can reach a pertion it in their waters. They can pump it.

Edit to correct my misconception of side drilling

[azurnoir]

9. True enough I noticed that when I first saw the maps n/t

[Swede]

10. Good. The Israelis will like that about the Gaza find.

nt

[Wizard777]

11. Nope! Sorry I misspoke. That field is entirely within Gaza's waters.

There must be some portion, even the tiniest portion, of the field in Israels waters before they can legally side drill like Kuwait did. If not they are poaching. I was checking out while you posted and discovered my mistake. I will correct the other post.