Business
Report: Qatar offering Israel gas
Doron Peskin
Published: 05.05.11, 08:32
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1. why would you do that ?
Sam ,   ME   (05.05.11)
why would you sell anyone below market price
2. #1
(05.05.11)
Because Israel is seen as a favourable ally in the Middle East. They supported a lot of the dictatorships in the region (Egypt, Morocco, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and even Saudi Arabia to some extent). Israel has relations with all of those countries official or not.
3. Sam @1 Nobody gives away for nothing
Ari ,   Romania-Israel   (05.05.11)
For sure something else is cooking. Thre could be swap deals in near future betwwen Israel and Quatar. Israel has a big amounts of gas discovered of it's shore. Israel could deliver to near countries in Europe in the name of Quatar and Quatar can deliver to the Fae East in name ofIsrael. In both cases you save trasport costs...This is only speculative. but something could be in the pot. Maybe this could also be a bluff between Quatar and Israel to force Egypt to continue to deliver to Israel at good prices.. WHO KNOWS!! Egypt is not relable anymore.
4. Gas from Qatar?
graczek ,   Maryland, USA   (05.05.11)
If this report is true, which I strongly doubt, it would represent a putting profit above loyalty to the Palestine Liberation cause on the part of Qatar. Shameful and disgraceful!
5. #1 maybe so we can transport it on to europe togerther with
ralph   (05.05.11)
6. #4 graczek, you're out of touch
BEN JABO ,   ISRAEL   (05.05.11)
Israel & Qatar have had economic relations for 15 years, all you had to do was do a bit of research before displaying your profound ignorance of matters that are way over your head "IsraelQatar established trade relations with the State of Israel in 1996.[citation needed] In January 2008 Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani in Switzerland, at the Davos Economic Forum. The existence of the surreptitious talks has so far been kept secretive by Israel. Alongside Barak's momentous encounter, some sources have said that a senior figure from Qatar paid a visit to Israel in mid-January 2008 and met with Israeli leaders to discuss the situation in Gaza and the possibility of jump starting stagnant negotiations over the release of Gilad Shalit. Despite Qatar's support of Hamas and its good relations with Hizbullah, Israeli leaders have maintained direct contact with the emirate. In January 2007, in his last months as vice premier, current President Shimon Peres paid a high-profile visit to the capital city of Doha. Peres also visited Qatar in 1996, when he launched the new Israeli trade bureau there.[citation needed] Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni also met with the Qatari Emir at a UN conference last year.[7] In April 2008, she visited Qatar where she attended a conference and met the Emir, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Oil and Gas." Keep on writing, it's so much fun when I show you up for what you really are, a bore !
7. graczek
yesjb ,   Canada   (05.05.11)
The only thing that is disgraceful is your unmitigated Jew-hatred and support for a terrorist entity that has as its goal to finish Hitler's job. They've even said so. And you're right up there in the front row goose-stepping to their tune! Now that's shameful and disgraceful!
8. Why would any country sell gas to another below market cost?
christianpalestinian ,   las vegas   (05.05.11)
This makes no sense. The Qatari monarchy should be next on the revolution list.
9. i will sell Israel my gas!
(05.05.11)
10. Qatar (if story true) gets an ally cheaply
John Phee ,   Sydney, AUSTRALIA   (05.05.11)
If Qatar does supply Israel with gas & lets be honest we don't know the truth, then Israel will need to protect the supply lines. That is Israel has an interest in protecting Qatar from Iran. Qatar is very close to Iran & is a natural target for invasion in a Shia v Sunni war. Shias are only about 10/15% of the population so no Bahrain style uprising (Shia v Sunni rulers) is realistic. With Israel "needing" to protect their gas supplies Qatar gets an ally against Iran & for what, shaving a few cents off a ton of gas. No that is a very good & smart deal. But the reality is that we really don't know what is happening.
11. #2
Tex ,   Houston, USA   (05.05.11)
All arab countries are dictatorships.
12. #9 christian etc
BEN JABO ,   ISRAEL   (05.05.11)
Qatar has been trading with Israel for 16 years, they must have some advantage in doing so Let's put it this way, Qatars economy & Israel's are both thriving, the Palestinian's is in the toilet and has been that way for more than 60 years
13. #4 graczek
BEN JABO ,   ISRAEL   (05.05.11)
Gas from Qatar serves a purpose, your brand of gas reminds me of Hitler's Zyklon B, just as hateful
14. #8 christian
BEN JABO ,   ISRAEL   (05.06.11)
The same reason that stores have "sales", selling items at reduced prices as an inducement to buy other goods that they make a greater profit on Qatar must be happy, they've been trading with Israel for 15 years
15. #8, because Israel known to honor agreements, unlike Egypt
Marco ,   Spain   (05.05.11)
and almost all Arabs. In business such a reputation is worth a discount. When the market price will drop below contract price Israel will not walk away like Egypt does to Israel. They will also will get paid on time which makes the deal worthy of a second discount. All this is much better than Fake Philistines living exclusively on international handouts, 90% from non-Muslims, because their own Arab brothers don't trust them. However it is not your fault that you don't understand given the kind of society you were born in, still living mentally in a Byzantine era.
16. Pie in the Sky - Israel does not have any LNG receiving plan
Eliezer ,   Jerusalem   (05.05.11)
So this is not an instantaneous solution. It can take up to 3 years to plan, engineer and build an LNG reception facility - by that time we will have our own natural gas from the Tamar and subsequently the Leviathan fields. Let all open our eyes and stop postulating on idiotic ideas floating around. Ask the professionals not the pundits
17. Egypt-KEEP YOUR GAS
BEN JABO ,   ISRAEL   (05.06.11)
You've turned away a good cash paying customer in Israel Now, you can take your gas & inhale Test drilling at Israel's Leviathan gas deposit in the Mediterranean Sea has confirmed large gas reserves there, which allows Israel to begin exporting gas, the project operator, U.S. company Noble Energy, said. Leviathan, located to the west of the Mediterranean port of Haifa, contains 450 billion cubic meters of gas, the company said, quoting the results of test drilling. Additional drilling will be carried out at the gas field to specify the figure, it said. The discovery is believed to assure the country's energy independence and is likely to put an end to Russia's plans to export natural gas to Israel.
18. Qatar is smart ....
sk ,   USA   (05.06.11)
...they know that God will smile favorably at this act and they will reap blessings without question.
19. to# 10
ko   (05.06.11)
stupid reasoning: Qatar is the best ally of Iran in the Gulf, the cables have wikilaeks have proves that the emir is puissement opposed a war with Iran in private and in public as there is no hypocrisy on this issue. by the way i doubt that Israel might be a great military help to Qatar. firstly israel can not project power in the peninsula in the Gulf, and then Iran is too powerful for israel
20. #19 KO Power is relative
BEN JABO ,   ISRAEL   (05.06.11)
In the event there would be an actual war between Iran & Israel, it won't be in the old fashioned manner, of waging it on the ground Missiles will fly with whatever warheads are in their arsenals Israel is known to have several hundred of the Atomic kind, which Iran is still trying to develop Qatar & Israel have had economic relations for 15 years, up to now, I haven't heard of either one of them griping about it If Iran would be foolish enough to block the passage of ships in the waters near her, the rest of the world that relies on the oil obtained from the area would act against Iran, which by the way is suffering from a severe unemployment & inflationary problems, facts are their economy is in the toilet The Mullah's rule, however, they're not known for being financial geniuses, since they're too consumed with religion, it’s rather difficult to substitute the Koran for victuals
21. Wow, that's very generous of Qatar
Cynic #2   (05.06.11)
Arab generosity at its best. I suggest that Qatar also makes new biblical discoveries to show that Moses and David were really born there too.
22. to #18 Exactly this!
John ,   Alaska   (05.06.11)
That was my thought also, if Qatar is being sincere, they have blessed Israel and will be blessed in turn by Israel's G-d.
23. To: No. 1
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (05.06.11)
Because Israel pays timely. But I doubt the story, because by the time the logistics are in place and discharge facilities are built, Israel's two huge natural gas fields will be operative.
24. KAPUSTA HEAD
Peace ,   JERUSALEM.ISRAEL   (05.06.11)
is your welfare check arrived already?
25. #1 They may be thinking that....
Zvi   (05.07.11)
They may be thinking that a long-term contract with a nearby, economically stable, credit-worthy customer can be quite a good deal for the seller. They may be making a strange sort of effort to stabilize gas prices in the region. They may be hoping to leverage any natural gas infrastructure (e.g. pipelines) that Israel might build in the future. They may be thinking that below-market rates may still be profitable, and that they would gain other benefits from this kind of deal, e.g. political benefits vis a vis the US, or greater access to Palestinians, or some other benefits. And it might all be nonsense, cooked up by some editor who hopes to sell newspapers.
26. Agreed
pete ,   uk   (05.07.11)
Israel pays timely with other peoples money. Watch them siphon off the US aide to pay for the German sub. Good on the Germans to insist on a premium. Must be a first israel ever paid full price,,,,, oh as for the gas fields most of it is in Lebanon..
27. #7
mark ,   ca   (05.07.11)
please,post it again.polaks don't get it first time"-)))
28. to # 20
younes   (05.07.11)
ok, so israel will use nuclear weapons for qatar lol. and you think the world and other Muslim countries will stand idly by? and you think that Iran not going to accelerate its program to quickly finish a bomb and deliver it on Tel Aviv ?
29. Gas for everyone
Iranian Jew ,   LA   (05.09.11)
Israel will have gas for all Europe pretty soon and that's what reallt scares the heck out of Egypt.
30. #4 - that's because most Arabs don't care about PLO
William ,   Israel   (06.03.11)
They couldn't care less about the "Palestinians" especially among the Gulf States. When I was in the Gulf, I was treated very well by the local Arabs there - and they knew I was Israeli. I didn't hide that fact. They told me they considered "Palestinians" to be "backwater retard cousins". They weren't too complimentary on Egyptians, Syrians, or Lebanese either. The fact that none of the Arab Gulf States make good on their pledges of $$$ to the "Palestinians" and the periodic expulsion of "Palestinians" from their States underscores this.
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