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New-found Israeli gas to bring political benefits
Reuters
Published: 14.04.14, 12:11
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13 Talkbacks for this article
1. easy money is bad money
Mark B. ,   Amsterdam / Holland   (04.14.14)
It destroys the need for creativity, innovation ands entrepeneurship. It leeds to mental laziness. If Israel can escape that, it will be the first country in history to do so after obtaining easy money. So have a go, Israel. Surprise us all.
2. Oh, well
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (04.14.14)
Cyprus is no longer going to be a part of Israel's vast natural gas finds. You see, back when the vote on "Palestine" came before the General Assembly, Cyprus was asked very politely to stand with Israel. They chose to stand against Israel. Welcome to the world of realpolitik, boys and girls. And if you don't think this is an enormous message to ALL of Europe, think again. If Europe doesn't toe the line, they'll have to pay market or above-market prices for Israeli natural gas, which will still be cheaper than what they'd have to purchase from Russia, and without the added very expensive logistical nightmare. Israel is in the catbird seat on this one. The price Europe pays for natural gas will be highly dependent upon how it wields its Middle Eastern foreign policy. The European Union is dead broke, and everyone knows it. If it chooses to remain dependent on natural gas from Russia, it is a foregone conclusion that Russian expansionism will not stop with Crimea. Nations do not have friends. Nations have interests. Let's see if the need for cheap energy outweighs Europe's fears of an Islamic and Arab backlash; i.e., increased civil unrest and terror. If Europe gives in, it will simply hasten its demise. If it doesn't, the European Union will fall apart, and most of Europe will rather rapidly fall under the Russian sphere of influence. The G-d of Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers.
3. Hmm, sales to your local or foreign enemy?
BUILD BABY BUILD!!!!   (04.14.14)
So much gas and so many decisions..... Should Russia shut off Europe's petro sales, what then? By selling to your Muslim enemies, will that invite more terrorists who will try and sabotage the gas and oil lines and supplies? I doubt some years ago, Israel would have ever been considered an oil or gas producer. KEEP BUILDING MORE HOMES FOR MORE JEWS !!!
4. Idiots.
Naes ,   USA   (04.14.14)
They should liquefy it and send it to East Asia. The notion that selling gas to the Muslims in Turkey, Jordan and the PA will improve relations is absurd. It will have the opposite effect. It will cause people in those countries to cling to their delusions about "Jewish control" of the economy. Israel doesn't owe those countries anything.
5. Easy money is better than no money
DemocracyRules ,   Canada   (04.15.14)
"easy money is bad money" Doesn't that depend upon who gets the money? Americans have vast wealth, as shown by the purchasing power parity GDP per person multiplied by 300 million people. But vigorous competition ensures that no money is 'easy'. If it gets easy, someone else goes after that money by working twice as hard. And then they get the money, until a tougher competitor comes along. On the other hand, if an economically frozen, do-nothing culture gets paid to do nothing, then they will do nothing. All the time.
6. Israel wants Ukrain like customers?
Miron ,   USA   (04.15.14)
Someone who doesn't pay, and when you stop gas has UN up in arms about "Putin dictatorship". Pack it up in LNG containers and send to London on commodity market. Sell at market price and pay proper taxes in state coffers.
7. To: BBB at No. 3
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (04.15.14)
No, it's called leverage. The Arabs were always destined to melt back into the desert. Their culture does not permit them to move forward; they are all totalitarian regimes, whether outdated monarchies, military dictatorships or strict theocracies -- it makes no difference. They are not in the least bit interested in providing a nurturing environment where all individuals can live freely; they are not interested in fostering democracies, because it would sound the death knell for their autocracies. If you cannot live freely, you cannot think freely. If you cannot think freely, you will never explore, or wonder about anything. No mere coincidence, then, that everything innovative has been born in Western democracies. Birth pangs, to be sure -- the Church used to burn people at the stake for merely suggesting that the earth orbited the sun, rather than the other way around. It took a Protestant reformation to make the idea take hold. But I digress. Islam is a failed culture; the Arabs haven't produced a culture to speak of since the tenth century. Petroleum bought them some credibility, but oil just isn't all that important any more. Nothing wrong with Israel exercising a little leverage. Or a lot of leverage. Israel is in the vanguard of information technology, in medicine -- when you stop to think about it, isn't it simply incredible that one tiny country that has to always be focused on physical safety and security is also responsible for producing roughly seventy percent of the chemotherapy protocols in use throughout the world today? It's beyond incredible. So, Israel has the brain trust, and now, Israel has oodles (the technical term?) of that which the world needs -- energy. Oil is passe. Natural gas, and Israel sits astride two of the largest natural gas fields ever discovered. There's a new kid on the block to dictate international diplomacy. About damned time, too.
8. above
moishe   (04.15.14)
rich people have lots of friends.
9. To: No. 1
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (04.15.14)
You know what? You're just jealous. Mind telling me what the Netherlands has contributed to civilization since the Old Masters and Leeuwenhoek? Besides some phenomenally dedicated Nazi collaborators, that is. Even though you certainly produced more of those than any other country. Normal people don't consider them to have been particularly civilized ....
10. @7 Hitler's dictatorship was probably worst in history
Miron ,   USA   (04.15.14)
but as far as economy goes, they did pretty well. Natural resources can be a leverage for dictatorship, yes. For example, US put forth a lot of effort to starve North Korea and Cuba into virtual starvation and than submission. But democratic countries with free press, keeping eye on military adventures, using gas to subjugate neighbor would be unthinkable. You and your mentality belong in centuries not even past, sweetheart. The only leverage Israel has not over neighbors, who saw her grow from one man's pair of feet to a beautiful country, but over those who continue to dream of halving Ierhshalaim is to do well, to continue, to endure. However we and all of Israel cares about neighbors, in this situation Israel must think very carefully first of all for her own sakes. So, as much as I value neighbors and well intentioned voices from afar, I think missing opportunity, a unique opportunity, go grow infrastructure to take care of own needs, would be a loss of leverage. The most important leverage, the one over own destiny. The difference is startling. That between a country donor with "some" resources and country with industrial powerhouse capable of deciding challenges at a state level thousands of miles apart from own shore. These two visions are so far apart, one doesn't have to be too well versed to understand that former will raise and fall as "some" resources get inevitably depleted. While the latter will continue on providing services, that will indeed create a tangible leverage as a valuable part of entire Middle East industrial ecosystem beyond any question.
11. Holland is full of gas....
viva israael   (04.16.14)
interesting thing is Holland is a big producer of gas??
12. Will Pals pay for GAS like tghey pay for Electricity???
Alan ,   SA   (04.17.14)
13. Israel is not Europe's only alternative for Russian gas
Mark B. ,   Amsterdam / Holland   (04.17.14)
Let us not forget the country with the worlds biggest natural gas reserves: Iran. Then of course there is the USA, which is about to start exporting it's fracked gas soon. And soon we may start fracking ourselves a bit too. But we would welcome Israel's gas none the less.
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