Is the Gaza war over rights to natural gas off their coast?

[rainy]

I read an article about this today. It stated that there has been an ongoing fight over the rights to control the gas off the cost of Gaza.
It seems like it could be fact as we all know most wars are started over control of natural resources.

[rainy]

1. Where did my post go? nt

[ThomWV]

2. How much gas is there, is it being pumped now, who controls security for the sites?

There are a zillion questions that can go with this but the real one is if this is an economic resource large enough worthy of war?

[rainy]

3. it was an article at a site that I was told I couldn't link to because

it has shown racism in the past. But, the article named some british and other national corporations that are removing the gas now and it mentioned that Israel control it.

Here's part of the story.

Who Owns the Gas Fields

The issue of sovereignty over Gaza's gas fields is crucial. From a legal standpoint, the gas reserves belong to Palestine.

The death of Yasser Arafat, the election of the Hamas government and the ruin of the Palestinian Authority have enabled Israel to establish de facto control over Gaza's offshore gas reserves.

British Gas (BG Group) has been dealing with the Tel Aviv government. In turn, the Hamas government has been bypassed in regards to exploration and development rights over the gas fields.

The election of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2001 was a major turning point. Palestine's sovereignty over the offshore gas fields was challenged in the Israeli Supreme Court. Sharon stated unequivocally that "Israel would never buy gas from Palestine" intimating that Gaza's offshore gas reserves belong to Israel.

In 2003, Ariel Sharon, vetoed an initial deal, which would allow British Gas to supply Israel with natural gas from Gaza's offshore wells. (The Independent, August 19, 2003)

The election victory of Hamas in 2006 was conducive to the demise of the Palestinian Authority, which became confined to the West Bank, under the proxy regime of Mahmoud Abbas.

In 2006, British Gas "was close to signing a deal to pump the gas to Egypt." (Times, May, 23, 2007). According to reports, British Prime Minister Tony Blair intervened on behalf of Israel with a view to shunting the agreement with Egypt.

The following year, in May 2007, the Israeli Cabinet approved a proposal by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "to buy gas from the Palestinian Authority." The proposed contract was for $4 billion, with profits of the order of $2 billion of which one billion was to go the Palestinians.

Tel Aviv, however, had no intention on sharing the revenues with Palestine. An Israeli team of negotiators was set up by the Israeli Cabinet to thrash out a deal with the BG Group, bypassing both the Hamas government and the Palestinian Authority:

[TahitiNut]

4. 1.4 trillion cubic feet, valued at approximately 4 billion dollars.

I'd say that's motive.

[Sebastian Doyle]

5. Thom Hartmann just mentioned that at the end of his show.

Perhaps this is not ONLY about manipulating a NuttyYahoo election in February? ;)