Across Israel, thousands rally against gas deal
Demonstrators gather in Tel Aviv and other cities ahead of Knesset discussions on contested agreement with energy giants
Thousands of protesters gathered Saturday in cities throughout the country to demonstrate against a government plan to bypass anti-trust regulations in order to approve a natural gas deal with US energy giant Noble Energy, ahead of an expected Knesset discussion on the issue scheduled for Tuesday.
Despite the unusually cold weather, thousands of people took part in the protest in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, the scene of similar demonstrations over the past weeks. Hundreds more protesters attended demonstrations in Nahariya, Arad, Modiin, and Ashdod, the Walla news site reported. Several dozen protesters gathered in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in the coastal city of Caesarea to voice their opposition to the deal.
Under the terms of the proposed deal, the government plans to give an international consortium led by the Delek and Noble Energy companies the rights to the largest gas reserve yet found in Israeli territorial waters, the Leviathan field.
The Leviathan find, thought to contain 18.9 trillion cubic feet (535 billion cubic meters) of gas, is considered a gold mine for the state, turning it into a potential major natural gas supplier and providing hundreds of billions of shekels for state coffers, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Critics of the deal, including former anti-trust commissioner David Gilo, have expressed concern that it creates a de facto monopoly that would lead to high gas prices for Israelis. They have accused the government of capitulating to gas companies’ demands.