Gaza Marine is a natural gas field off the coast of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

. The Gaza Marine natural gas field is located in water about offshore at a depth of . The field was discovered in 2000 by BG Group and it is estimated to contain more than 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. On 18 June 2023, the Israeli government gave preliminary approval for its development.

History

In 1999, BG Group was granted an exploration license by the Palestinian National Authority. The field was discovered in 2000. It is estimated that the Gaza Marine field contains upwards of 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, more than is needed to power the Palestinian territories, with potential to export. For many years after discovery, security and economic negotiations delayed its development. Two of the main parties involved in the negotiations are the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) and Egypt, which seek to convert the natural gas into liquefied natural gas to export. The gas field remains unexploited for political and historical reasons; however, when it was first discovered, media coverage projected it to be a subject that could offer benefits to both Israelis and Palestinians, potentially leading to cooperation and negotiation between both parties. On 18 June 2023, the Israeli government gave preliminary approval for its development, while requiring security coordination with the Palestinian Authority and Egypt.

Ownership and access disputes

Israel and the Palestinian territories are situated in close proximity to several other countries: Lebanon and Syria are to the north, while Cyprus, an island that rests nearby in the Mediterranean Sea, is to the west, just below Turkey (see

2018 Cyprus gas dispute The 2018 Cyprus gas dispute is a diplomatic dispute involving the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus (in partnership with Greece and Egypt) in the eastern Mediterranean, which began on February 6, 2018. The dispute followed ...

). To the south is Egypt, a major energy supplier to Israel. The gas fields that lie under the Mediterranean do not conform to national borders. Lebanon and Egypt objected to Israel's claims to certain gas fields, and Israel has tightened ties with Cyprus over gas field negotiations. Regionally, the discovery of gas fields has led to increased tension between these closely placed countries.

Maritime law Admiralty law or maritime law is a body of law that governs nautical issues and private maritime disputes. Admiralty law consists of both domestic law on maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between priva ...

and Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories also complicates the question of who owns the Gaza Marine gas field. Although it is legally under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority as a result of the

Oslo Accords The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993;

, Israeli forces have prevented Palestinians physical access to the offshore region and its resources.

References

{{coord missing, Gaza Strip Natural gas fields in the State of Palestine Economy of the Gaza Strip