For decades, Israel has been searching for oil in its own lands, with the hope of gaining energy independence.
Recent reports from Genie, a US oil-exploration company, suggest oil has been found in Israel. Lots of it.
Cautionary statements from experts have followed: there is a difference
between oil in the ground and oil that can be brought to the surface
cost-effectively.
And as long as OPEC oil-exporting nations are setting a very low price
per barrel, bringing Israeli oil to the surface would be more difficult,
financially speaking.
The oil is actually in the Golan Heights, which was taken by Israel,
from Syria, in the 1967 war. The ownership of the area is still
contested. (Haaretz:
"Genie Confirms Report of Possible Big Golan Oil Find," Oct 11, 2015)
However, given the current war in Syria and the massive chaos there,
Syria would certainly be less likely to challenge Israel's oil claim
with meaningful force. Is the Syrian-war escalation in part an effort
to pave the way for Israeli oil?
If the initial celebratory announcements about how much oil is under the
ground, in Golan, are correct, Israel could be looking at a
long-sought, massive upswing in its domestic energy capability.
That's not all. Genie, the US company that is doing the
drilling-exploration in Golan, has some very interesting characters on
its strategic advisory board---men who can exert influence on all sorts
of geo-political operations.
For example, Rupert Murdoch; and Jacob Rothschild, the chairman of the
Rothschild Foundation and the J Rothschild group of companies.
For example, ex-CIA director James Woolsey.
And Dick Cheney.
And Lawrence Summers, former president of Harvard University, former
Secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton, director of the National
Economic Council under Obama. (Will we see the involvement of the
Harvard Endowment Fund in this Israeli oil operation?)
And Bill Richardson, former Secretary of Energy under Bill Clinton.
Who would obtain a license to bring up all this oil? Afek Israel Oil
and Gas, which is a subsidiary of Genie, for whom the above-mentioned
men serve as advisors. In fact, we have this from Genie's website:
"Afek is characterizing a potentially significant oil and gas
resource in Northern Israel pursuant to an exclusive, 3 year petroleum
exploration license issued by the government of Israel."
Mint Press News reports, in
"Israel Takes Advantage Of Syrian Civil War To Expand Illegal Golan Heights Settlements," Oct 13, 2015:
"Israel is taking advantage of the chaos in Syria to expand its
illegal settlements in the Golan Heights, just as new oil reserves were
discovered in the contested region... Now, Israel hopes to quintuple the
size of its settlements over the next five years by adding an
additional 100,000 settlers to the region. The plan was proposed by
Naftali Bennett, a senior Israeli minister and member of the right-wing
Jewish Home party, and, according to a report from The New York Times
last week, Bennett is just one of 'many Israeli leaders and thinkers
seizing on the chaos in Syria to solidify Israel's hold on the Golan.'"
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