tagged: energy, Greece Israel, INSS Haaretz, Leviathan, Mediterranean resources, Natural gas, Netanyahu, Papandreou

Israel Offers Natural Gas to Greece?

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Israel-GR

Many wondered about the real agenda of the sudden “love, friendship & cooperation” outbreak between  Greece and Israel, call me ‘diplomatic rapprochement”. Was it due to deterioration of  Ankara’s relations to Tel Aviv? Was it due to discovery of natural gas resources offshore Israel? Was it due to swifting of balances in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East? Or were there just moody and powerful players moving the pawns on the global chessboard adding oil to the fire of conspiracy theories supporters? Was it all or nothing, or was it all and everything?

The truth is been revealing slowly and thus via the Israeli media. Gathering the pieces of the puzzle and putting them together in a particular order sooner or later we will come up with the desired solution. Its mathematics and logic…

Haaretz: Netanyahu offers natural gas to Greece

There is an article today in Haaretz newspaper with the title: Netanyahu offers natural gas to Greece (click for whole article). According to newspaper, Netanyahu is seeking new energy ties for a trans-Mediterranean pipeline plan. Haaretz reveals that during his recent visit to Greece, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested to his Greek counterpart that the country purchase natural gas from Israel .Netanyahu was thought to be referring to gas that may be found at the Leviathan offshore prospect, and suggested that a pipeline be built between Greece and Israel in order to transport the gas.

The response of Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to the proposal is not known.

INSS: Greece – A Strategic Alternative to Turkey?

Another interesting article I’ve located is the one by Oded Eran, researcher at Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

In the article with the title Greece: A Strategic Alternative to Turkey?  (click for whole article) the author stipulates that Greece cannot compensate entirely for the damage in Israel-Turkey relations. Greece cannot be a major customer for Israel’s defense industry as Turkey was, it cannot cooperate on intelligence. But possible strategic operation exists in the energy field (natural gas) and that a cooperation between Israel, Cyprus sand Greece can bypass Turkey and shorten the distance between gas fields and the European consumer.

Perhaps the neo-Hellenist option does not fully replace the strategic assets lost with the disintegration of the neo-Ottoman option, but it embodies much interesting potential that is well worth cultivating, concludes the article.