'Deal of the Century?' Netanyahu just got the gift of the century - Yaakov Katz -
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz are expected to be at the White House next Tuesday to discuss the "Deal of the Century."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received the gift of the century on Thursday when Vice President Mike Pence invited him and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to the White House for talks next Tuesday about the long-awaited peace plan, otherwise known as the "Deal of the Century."
It is a gift for a number of reasons. First, on Tuesday, the Knesset is scheduled to hold a fateful vote on Netanyahu's request for immunity from prosecution for his alleged crimes of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Will Blue and White now back down from its request to hold the hearing due to the summit in Washington or will it stick to its guns?
Either way, the nation's attention will be on what is happening in DC and not on what is happening in the Knesset. There, President Donald Trump and the peace team led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to present details of the plan to Netanyahu and Gantz and then pave the way for the annexation of the Jordan Valley and possibly even more.
The timing for Netanyahu could not have been more perfect. On Thursday, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and closed what seems to be a deal to secure the release of jailed Israeli Naama Issachar. Then, he went to Yad Vashem and spoke before some 50 heads of state. After that ceremony, he drove to the Western Wall together with Pence and then, afterwards, in a meeting at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, received the official invitation from the White House.
Immunity? Indictment? A third election? Who even remembers that anymore? This is all about Netanyahu the statesman, the diplomat and the world class leader.
Unfortunately, this is what counts. While the deal might be the most favorable ever presented to Israel, the perception is one of it being a gift to Netanyahu because it will be viewed through a political prism. It might say that Jerusalem belongs to Israel forever, that the settlements are not to be evacuated, but sadly, none of that will matter. Israelis and especially its politicians are on political steroids right now because of the upcoming election on March 2. That is simply how everything will be viewed.
It is also a gift because even though Gantz has been invited, Pence made a point of saying that the invitation was extended per Netanyahu's request. In other words, Netanyahu comes off looking like a true leader, not one who plays petty political games when it comes to matters of such strategic importance like the Trump peace plan.
Gantz is in a difficult position. On the one hand, his instinct would be to refuse the invitation. Why play a part in Netanyahu's game. Everyone in Israeli politics - and especially in his own Likud Party - knows that Netanyahu is not a gracious politician. He doesn't share credit or the stage for free. Just ask his own ministers who complain about this all the time. There is always an ulterior motive.
What could it be in this case? March 3, the day after the election. Netanyahu knows that the Right's chances to get 61 seats in the upcoming election are not high. His only chance of forming a coalition is getting Gantz to agree to a unity government.
The Americans are the brokers. They brought Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat together at the White House in 1979, they brought Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat together in 1993 and now, in 2020, they will have brought Netanyahu and Gantz together in the Oval Office.
Trump will offer a favorable peace plan, a defense pact and who knows what else. All you will have to do, he will say, is form a coalition. Who will be able to say no?
The Leviathan field could be a game-changer for Israel-EU relations - By Frank Musmar -
A reliable and price-competitive natural-gas alternative in the Mediterranean could diminish Moscow's ability to use energy as a political weapon against Europe.
Leviathan, the largest natural-gas field ever discovered, is located under the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel. It is deep in the Levantine Basin, an area rich in hydrocarbons. The field is roughly 130 kilometers west of Haifa and 1,500 meters deep.
Leviathan is estimated to hold more than 21 trillion cubic feet of natural gas-enough to fill Israel's power-generation needs for the next 40 years while still leaving ample supply for export.
Leviathan could prove to be a game-changer for Israel's relations with the European Union.
Israel's proven gas reserves are estimated at some 455 billion cubic meters (bcm), while the Eastern Mediterranean has about 2,100 bcm of gas in total. The E.U.'s consumption of gas in 2017 was 410 bcm, meaning Israel's reserves are enough to supply the European Union.
Israel's gas production is anticipated to exceed demand by 80 percent in 2020, thanks to production from Leviathan 1A. This will enable Israel to become a gas exporter in the Eastern Mediterranean. (The Karish field, which has recoverable reserves of 1.7 tcf [60 bcm], is also under development and is expected to start supplying the domestic market in 2021.)
Israeli natural gas offers the European Union a rare opportunity to loosen Russia's longtime chokehold on energy. Moscow wields access to energy supplies as a political weapon. The Levantine basin offers the European Union an alternative: a reliable and price-competitive source of liquefied natural gas.
In January 2019, Israel, Egypt and Cyprus announced the creation of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, which aims to build a 1,200-mile pipeline connecting the abundant hydrocarbon reserves of the Levantine basin with Europe via Cyprus and Crete. The European Commission has contributed nearly $39 million to the project, which is forecast to be completed in seven years.
The transformation of the eastern Mediterranean into an energy hub could have major global geopolitical implications.
After a meeting in Tel Aviv with the energy ministers of Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy, European Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said the pipeline would help the European Union limit its reliance on the Nord Stream pipeline via Russia. This development concerns Moscow, of course, because the Russian economy is heavily dependent on the export of natural resources such as oil and natural gas.
Russia holds 54 percent of the world's total reserves of gas, 46 percent of its coal, 14 percent of its uranium and 13 percent of its oil. It provides 37 percent of Europe's gas supplies via its oil and gas giant Gazprom. Europe's energy dependence has paid off handsomely for Russia.
Russia's contract to use Ukrainian pipelines to ship natural gas to Europe expired on Dec. 31, 2019. The last time the contract was up for negotiation, Russia stopped gas shipments for 13 days in the dead of winter. The result was freezing temperatures in homes from Sofia to Rome. If no contract is signed and Ukraine ceases to be a transit state, Europe may not immediately suffer a shortage, but prices will spike.
Ten years ago, Israel depended on Egyptian natural gas. Today, Israel exports natural gas to both Egypt and Jordan.
Export agreements to Jordan and Egypt have already been concluded for Leviathan Phase 1A gas. Israel will export 106 bcf (3 bcm) natural gas per year to Jordan starting in 2020 through a 65-kilometer pipeline. Israel will need access to additional markets, however, if it is to export large quantities of natural gas. A burgeoning energy relationship with the European Union is very much in Jerusalem's interest.
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