Netanyahu may postpone a vote on a recent cabinet decision to override the Antitrust Authority and implement a controversial agreement regarding the development of Israel’s offshore natural gas reserves, Ynet reports. The vote was scheduled for this afternoon, but the prime minister is apparently concerned he may not garner enough votes to pass the motion.
According to Ynet, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, Housing Minister Yoav Gallant and Social Affairs Minister Haim Katz have decided not to vote in favor of the agreement.
The vote is the last legal hurdle before a partnership between the US company Noble Energy and the Delek Group of Israel makes them the sole developers of the Tamar and Leviathan natural gas reserves off the coast of Haifa.
The Tamar natural gas field off the coast of Ashkelon (Moshe Shai/FLASH90)
Noble and Delek have been selling gas to the Israeli market from the Tamar field, which went online in 2013, and have agreed to sell to neighboring countries as well. The Leviathan field, the largest gas field in the Mediterranean, has not yet been developed.
The Noble-Delek partnership has been branded a de facto monopoly by Antitrust Commissioner David Gilo.
Is our live election coverage important to you?
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the 2026 Israeli election? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock to report political developments as they unfold;
Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and podcasts; and
Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including our DocuNationstreaming film series and weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 29, 2015
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
