The Land of Gas and Honey

The discovery of two huge natural gas fields, Tamar and Leviathan, off Israel’s coast promises energy security for the nation at a time when its Egyptian gas deal is under risk and its current largest field, Mari-B, nears depletion. But like other gas fields around the globe, these stretch along waters that belong to feuding countries. Israel’s two fields overlap a bit with waters off Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus – and Palestinians, too, will have a claim. With the range of conflicts in the region, Israel anticipates many hurdles before reaping benefits from the two fields. Neighbors like Turkey or Lebanon are in no mood to grant Israel favors. And with plenty of suppliers in the region, Israel may have to build expensive facilities for shipments to Europe or other willing buyers. So, rather than boost the region’s prosperity, the two fields could become pawns in political negotiations, adding new layers of complexity to the existing conflicts. – YaleGlobal