Israel is trying to promote the development of its own and its neighbors’ gas fields, in light of the European energy shortage. It plans to sell natural gas from its reservoirs in the Eastern Mediterranean to the European countries disengaging from Russian gas supplies.
That being said, Israel is engaged in two international disputes over the development of its Mediterranean gas fields.
The dispute with Lebanon centers on the demarcation of the two states’ economic waters. US special envoy Amos Hochstein, who has been mediating between the sides, is expected to present a draft agreement to both governments ahead of a hoped-for signing within weeks. Reports suggest advancement was made on the margins of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
The second is a dispute over the development of the Aphrodite-Yishai joint reservoir, most of which is located in the economic waters of Cyprus and a small part in Israeli territory. After being stalled for nearly a decade, significant progress has been made recently on resolving this controversy. In fact, following Sept. 19 discussions in Cyprus between Israel’s Energy Minister Karine Elharar and her Cypriot counterpart Natasha Pilides, the two sides announced that they had agreed on most outstanding issues.
Read more: Al-Monitor
