The official Jordanian National Electricity Company (NEPCO) announced on Wednesday that the first shipments of Israeli natural gas have been pumped to the country, local and Middle Eastern media reported.
The announcement was made despite intense internal pressures by Jordanian political parties and civil society organizations, which have called on the government to block the deal and to prevent further economic integration with Israel.
RT PalestineChron "#Jordan Protests Expected ahead of Gas Deal with #Israel https://t.co/PZiGKDr1LB via PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/92gZyu46Kw"
— Richard Hardigan (@RichardHardigan) December 24, 2019
The protests seem to have fallen in deaf ears, as the Israeli gas has finally found its way to the Jordanian market.
“It’s a black day in the history of Jordan,” said a statement issued by the Islamic Action Front, Jordan’s most powerful political opposition party.
It is “a crime against the nation and a national catastrophe that makes our sovereignty hostage and the energy sector in the hands of the Zionist occupation,” the statement added.
"It's a black day in the history of Jordan and a crime against the nation," said #Jordan's main political opposition Islamic Action Fronthttps://t.co/20Dy4tWU0U
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) January 2, 2020
The news indicates that Israel’s hegemony over the West of the Mediterranean gas fields is now strengthening its regional economic status.
The largest of Israel’s natural gas wealth comes from Leviathan, which was discovered 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the city of Haifa in 2010. The field began pumping gas on Tuesday.
#Leviathan Gas Field to Start Production despite #Pollution Concerns https://t.co/8GH1gXLvfp @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/MaojslxyVP
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 20, 2019
Leviathan “is estimated to hold 535 billion cubic meters (18.9 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas, along with 34.1 million barrels of condensate,” the Associated Press reported.
A US Israeli consortium, led by Texas-based Noble Energy and Israel’s Delek Drilling, in charge of the development of Israel’s offshore platform, also struck a $15 billion 10-year deal with Egypt’s Dolphinus to supply the Arab country with 64 billion cubic meters (2.26 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
