Despite the lack of agreement with Lebanon in the dispute over the future sea border, the Karish gas field in the Mediterranean has already been connected to Israel’s national production system.
The British-Greek company Energean announced on Sunday that as part of a test, gas had been transported in the opposite direction, i.e. from the coast towards the platform, for the first time. It is not yet about the beginning of gas production, but a test of the systems.
The gas field is part of a dispute over a sea area that both Israel and Lebanon claim as an exclusive economic zone. The decades-long conflict over the course of the border intensified after the discovery of natural gas resources. Israel wants to start producing gas from the Karish gas field as soon as possible. The Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah had described the start of production before an agreement as a “red line”. Israel shot down several Hezbollah drones at the platform in early July.
No hope for a quick agreement
Hopes for a quick agreement in the dispute between the warring countries over their maritime borders had recently been dashed. However, according to media reports, the negotiations continue. On Thursday, Israel rejected Lebanon’s proposed amendments to a US compromise proposal. It is feared that a failure of the negotiations, which have been going on for around two years, could lead to further tensions in the region. Parliamentary elections in Israel are on November 1st.
The gas from Israel could also help ease Europe’s energy crisis. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has increasingly been looking for other gas suppliers.
