Maritime borders... Territorial waters and gas: Where is Palestine? ‏

Written by: Dr. Dalal Saeb Erekat
Last Thursday, Israel and Lebanon signed a maritime border agreement mediated by the United States, which was reached this month, opening the way for energy exploration in the sea. To develop the offshore natural gas field off the coast of the Gaza Strip, indicating that talks are underway to reach a final agreement
It is no secret to talk about gas fields and their extraction, as the Egyptian-Israeli negotiations began two years ago, and agreements were signed between Israel and the countries bordering the coast, i.e. the exclusive water economic zone. We mention Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Turkey, and now Lebanon. ‏
Following the example of the pragmatic school, what is happening is very understandable, but from a realistic view, we wonder: Where is the Palestinian role in these agreements? ‏
There has been public talk about the gas production agreement from the (Gaza Marine) field. For information, there are billions of dollars in the depths of the sea that can build an independent and resistant Palestinian economy. ,
(Gaza Marine), is the first field discovered in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean at the end of the nineties, before the Egyptian and Israeli gas fields, and it was a motive for the countries of the eastern Mediterranean basin to intensify exploration operations.
The Palestinians tried to work on the gas project with the British and the Dutch, but the occupation prevented that, but with the entry of the Egyptian party, there is a clear-cut project, as the Republic of Egypt has 45% of the project! ‏
The gas field is located 36 km from the shores of Gaza, and it is an area under full and sole Israeli control. As for international law regarding the territorial waters of countries, the Palestinian right is fixed, just like the right of any of the countries that enjoy territorial water borders around this region. ‏

The parties benefiting from this project are clear, and the gas reserves in this field are estimated at about 30 billion cubic meters, and at a production rate of one and a half billion cubic meters annually, it will generate revenues between 6-7 billion dollars annually. In the event that the Palestinian Authority enters as a partner, it will obtain a number of billions, not less than two, and this is worthy of increasing its revenues and supporting its budget, which amounts to 5 billion dollars annually, meaning that this income will increase the revenues of the Authority by no less than 40% annually, and this is a great thing if We have not looked at approving the authority's budget and its direct connection with the donor countries, and what this project will achieve in terms of economic independence if the authority plays its natural role in this project. Official data provided by the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum indicates that the gas reserve in Gaza Marine is estimated at about one trillion cubic feet, while its production capacity extends to between 10 and 12 years, and is expected to generate high returns during its operation period. ‏
The worrying issue is that while Israel appears as a supplier of natural gas and engages with European Union countries to export gas as an alternative to energy sources, the Palestinians are still divided; From the point of view of Hamas in Gaza, its interest lies in obtaining electricity 24 hours a day for the entire Gaza Strip, and this is very important for Hamas, and it is self-evident because there are Egyptian efforts and interests behind this project. It is difficult for Hamas to play a negative role in this file. While the authority has not yet expressed an official position and has not provided clear information about its existence as a party or not, in light of the emergence of some news that talked about the participation of the Palestinian Investment Fund and Palestinian private companies in this project, and this was reported by a group of state parties, which confirmed that the Palestinians are a party In this agreement! ‏
Gas is the treasure of the century, and therefore it is necessary to know where the Palestinian role is and how to serve the Palestinian interest by employing gas in a pragmatic and national manner. ‏

- Dalal Erekat: Professor of Diplomacy and Strategic Planning, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Arab American University. ‏