Author: blanca Date: To: forumlucca Subject: [Forumlucca] Le risorse di Gaza
Ricevo e inoltro.
ILa
> http://www.beppegrillo.it/2009/01/i_conti_dormien_0.html#page_3 > Scoperti nel 2000, vi sono estesi giacimenti di gas al largo delle
> coste di Gaza. British Gas (BG Group) ed il suo partner,
> Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC), con sede ad
> Atene e di proprietà delle famiglie libanesi Sabbagh e Koury,
> ottennero i diritti di esplorazione per il gas e per il petrolio
> grazie ad un accordo di durata venticinquennale firmato nel novembre
> 1999 con l´Autorità Palestinese.
> I diritti sui giacimenti di gas al largo spettano rispettivamente a
> British Gas (per il 60 percento); alla Consolidated Contractors
> (CCC) (per il 30 percento); ed al Fondo d´Investimento dell´Autorità
> palestinese (Investment Fund of the Palestinian Authority) (per il
> 10 percento) (Haaretz, 21 Ottobre 2007).
> l´Accordo tra British Gas, Consolidated Contractors International
> Company e l´Autorità Palestinese prevede anche lo sviluppo dei
> giacimenti e la costruzione di un gasdotto (Middle East Economic
> Digest, 5 gennaio 2001).
> La licenza della British Gas copre l´intera area marina prospiciente
> le coste di Gaza, contigua a diversi impianti di gas al largo di
> Israele (Vedi mappa sotto). E´ necessario precisare che il 60% dei
> giacimenti di gas lungo la linea costiera Gaza - Israele
> appartengono alla Palestina.
> Il Gruppo British Gas ha scavato due pozzi nel 2000: Gaza Marine-1 e
> Gaza Marine-2. Le riserve sono stimate da British Gas nell´ordine di
> 1.400 miliardi di piedi cubi, valutati approssimativamente quattro
> miliardi di dollari. Questi sono i dati resi pubblici da British
> Gas. La dimensione delle riserve di gas palestinesi potrebbe essere
> di molto superiore.
>
> * * * * * * *
>
>
> http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=11680 >
> War and Natural Gas: The Israeli Invasion and Gaza's Offshore Gas
> Fields
>
> by Michel Chossudovsky
>
>
> Global Research, January 8, 2009
>
>
>
>
> The military invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli Forces bears a
> direct relation to the control and ownership of strategic offshore
> gas reserves.
>
> This is a war of conquest. Discovered in 2000, there are extensive
> gas reserves off the Gaza coastline.
>
> British Gas (BG Group) and its partner, the Athens based
> Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC) owned by
> Lebanon's Sabbagh and Koury families, were granted oil and gas
> exploration rights in a 25 year agreement signed in November 1999
> with the Palestinian Authority.
>
> The rights to the offshore gas field are respectively British Gas
> (60 percent); Consolidated Contractors (CCC) (30 percent); and the
> Investment Fund of the Palestinian Authority (10 percent). (Haaretz,
> October 21, 2007).
>
> The PA-BG-CCC agreement includes field development and the
> construction of a gas pipeline.(Middle East Economic Digest, Jan 5,
> 2001).
>
> The BG licence covers the entire Gazan offshore marine area, which
> is contiguous to several Israeli offshore gas facilities. (See Map
> below). It should be noted that 60 percent of the gas reserves along
> the Gaza-Israel coastline belong to Palestine.
>
> The BG Group drilled two wells in 2000: Gaza Marine-1 and Gaza
> Marine-2. Reserves are estimated by British Gas to be of the order
> of 1.4 trillion cubic feet, valued at approximately 4 billion
> dollars. These are the figures made public by British Gas. The size
> ofPalestine's gas reserves could be much larger.
>
>
> Map 1
>
>
> Map 2
>
> Who Owns the Gas Fields
>
> The issue of sovereignty over Gaza's gas fields is crucial. From a
> legal standpoint, the gas reserves belong to Palestine.
>
> The death of Yasser Arafat, the election of the Hamas government and
> the ruin of the Palestinian Authority have enabled Israel to
> establish de facto control over Gaza's offshore gas reserves.
>
> British Gas (BG Group) has been dealing with the Tel Aviv
> government. In turn, the Hamas government has been bypassed in
> regards to exploration and development rights over the gas fields.
>
> The election of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2001 was a major
> turning point. Palestine's sovereignty over the offshore gas fields
> was challenged in the Israeli Supreme Court. Sharon stated
> unequivocally that "Israel would never buy gas from Palestine"
> intimating thatGaza's offshore gas reserves belong to Israel.
>
> In 2003, Ariel Sharon, vetoed an initial deal, which would allow
> British Gas to supply Israel with natural gas from Gaza's offshore
> wells. (The Independent, August 19, 2003)
>
> The election victory of Hamas in 2006 was conducive to the demise of
> the Palestinian Authority, which became confined to the West Bank,
> under the proxy regime of Mahmoud Abbas.
>
> In 2006, British Gas "was close to signing a deal to pump the gas to
> Egypt." (Times, May, 23, 2007). According to reports, British Prime
> Minister Tony Blair intervened on behalf of Israel with a view to
> shunting the agreement with Egypt.
>
> The following year, in May 2007, the Israeli Cabinet approved a
> proposal by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "to buy gas from the
> Palestinian Authority." The proposed contract was for $4 billion,
> with profits of the order of $2 billion of which one billion was to
> go the Palestinians.
>
> Tel Aviv, however, had no intention on sharing the revenues with
> Palestine. An Israeli team of negotiators was set up by the Israeli
> Cabinet to thrash out a deal with the BG Group, bypassing both the
> Hamas government and the Palestinian Authority:
>
> "Israeli defence authorities want the Palestinians to be paid in
> goods and services and insist that no money go to the Hamas-
> controlled Government." (Ibid, emphasis added)
>
> The objective was essentially to nullify the contract signed in 1999
> between the BG Group and the Palestinian Authority under Yasser
> Arafat.
>
> Under the proposed 2007 agreement with BG, Palestinian gas from
> Gaza's offshore wells was to be channeled by an undersea pipeline to
> the Israeli seaport of Ashkelon, thereby transferring control over
> the sale of the natural gas to Israel.
>
> The deal fell through. The negotiations were suspended:
>
> "Mossad Chief Meir Dagan opposed the transaction on security
> grounds, that the proceeds would fund terror". (Member of Knesset
> Gilad Erdan, Address to the Knesset on "The Intention of Deputy
> Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Purchase Gas from the Palestinians
> When Payment Will Serve Hamas," March 1, 2006, quoted in Lt. Gen.
> (ret.) Moshe Yaalon, Does the Prospective Purchase of British Gas
> from Gaza's Coastal Waters Threaten Israel's National Security?
> Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, October 2007)
>
> Israel's intent was to foreclose the possibility that royalties be
> paid to the Palestinians. In December 2007, The BG Group withdrew
> from the negotiations with Israel and in January 2008 they closed
> their office in Israel.(BG website).
>
> Invasion Plan on The Drawing Board
>
> The invasion plan of the Gaza Strip under "Operation Cast Lead" was
> set in motion in June 2008, according to Israeli military sources:
>
> "Sources in the defense establishment said Defense Minister Ehud
> Barak instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for the
> operation over six months ago [June or before June] , even as Israel
> was beginning to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Hamas."(Barak
> Ravid,Operation "Cast Lead": Israeli Air Force strike followed
> months of planning, Haaretz, December 27, 2008)
>
> That very same month, the Israeli authorities contacted British Gas,
> with a view to resuming crucial negotiations pertaining to the
> purchase of Gaza's natural gas:
>
> "Both Ministry of Finance director general Yarom Ariav and Ministry
> of National Infrastructures director general Hezi Kugler agreed to
> inform BG of Israel's wish to renew the talks.
>
> The sources added that BG has not yet officially responded to
> Israel's request, but that company executives would probably come
> toIsrael in a few weeks to hold talks with government
> officials." (Globes online- Israel's Business Arena, June 23, 2008)
>
> The decision to speed up negotiations with British Gas (BG Group)
> coincided, chronologically, with the planning of the invasion of
> Gazainitiated in June. It would appear that Israel was anxious to
> reach an agreement with the BG Group prior to the invasion, which
> was already in an advanced planning stage.
>
> Moreover, these negotiations with British Gas were conducted by the
> Ehud Olmert government with the knowledge that a military invasion
> was on the drawing board. In all likelihood, a new "post war"
> political-territorial arrangement for the Gaza strip was also being
> contemplated by the Israeli government.
>
> In fact, negotiations between British Gas and Israeli officials were
> ongoing in October 2008, 2-3 months prior to the commencement of the
> bombings on December 27th.
>
> In November 2008, the Israeli Ministry of Finance and the Ministry
> of National Infrastructures instructed Israel Electric Corporation
> (IEC) to enter into negotiations with British Gas, on the purchase
> of natural gas from the BG's offshore concession in Gaza. (Globes,
> November 13, 2008)
>
> "Ministry of Finance director general Yarom Ariav and Ministry of
> National Infrastructures director general Hezi Kugler wrote to IEC
> CEO Amos Lasker recently, informing him of the government's decision
> to allow negotiations to go forward, in line with the framework
> proposal it approved earlier this year.
>
> The IEC board, headed by chairman Moti Friedman, approved the
> principles of the framework proposal a few weeks ago. The talks with
> BG Group will begin once the board approves the exemption from a
> tender." (Globes Nov. 13, 2008)
>
> Gaza and Energy Geopolitics
>
> The military occupation of Gaza is intent upon transferring the
> sovereignty of the gas fields to Israel in violation of
> international law.
>
> What can we expect in the wake of the invasion?
>
> What is the intent of Israel with regard to Palestine's Natural Gas
> reserves?
>
> A new territorial arrangement, with the stationing of Israeli and/or
> "peacekeeping" troops?
>
> The militarization of the entire Gaza coastline, which is strategic
> for Israel?
>
> The outright confiscation of Palestinian gas fields and the
> unilateral declaration of Israeli sovereignty over Gaza's maritime
> areas?
>
> If this were to occur, the Gaza gas fields would be integrated into
> Israel's offshore installations, which are contiguous to those of
> the Gaza Strip. (See Map 1 above).
>
> These various offshore installations are also linked up to Israel's
> energy transport corridor, extending from the port of Eilat, which
> is an oil pipeline terminal, on the Red Sea to the seaport -
> pipeline terminal at Ashkelon, and northwards to Haifa, and
> eventually linking up through a proposed Israeli-Turkish pipeline
> with the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
>
> Ceyhan is the terminal of the Baku, Tblisi Ceyhan Trans Caspian
> pipeline. "What is envisaged is to link the BTC pipeline to the
> Trans-Israel Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline, also known as Israel's
> Tipline." (See Michel Chossudovsky, The War on Lebanon and the
> Battle for Oil,Global Research, July 23, 2006)
>
>
>
> Map 3
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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