Gaza, October 6, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - The Eastern part of the Mediterranean is prolific in natural gas with a very good change of oil being found much deeper. In many parts of the world we find sufficient reserves for everyone to share and benefit from. For some strange reason Israel does not agree with this principle and in actual fact wishes to take not only its own reserves but also those belonging to the Palestinians.

We will first look again at the offshore natural resources and see how Israel could or already have the ability to deprive Palestine of its own vital resource. Later in this article we will also look at the onshore possibilities in the West Bank and show that some of the areas taken by and under the control of Israel could well yield some interesting finds.

As I have previously pointed out Israel's Mari B natural gas field sits on the border with Gaza and in surrounded by a cloak of secrecy. The area around the platform is totally off limits as one would normally expect but is there more to this gas field and could it extend into Gazan waters? Should this be the case then a grave injustice has taken place which basically is depriving the Palestinians of a shared resource and all the incredible wealth that goes with it.

The Mari B platform came on line in December 2003 and delivered around 100 million cubic feet per day (MMcfpd). Later in 2004 this increased to reach around 170 MMcfpd. The production facilities for the Mari B were expected to produce up to 600 MMcfpd. The company estimates total recoverable reserves in the Mari-B field to exceed one trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Noble Energy also has an undeveloped discovery, Noa, which is estimated to contain over 200 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas. Noa is scheduled to be brought on line at a later date through a sub-sea tieback to the Mari-B platform.

Let's look again at this issue and ask the question does the Mari B gas field extend over the border and if so then Israel is guilty of stealing a shared resource. Noa natural gas field (which sits further out to the West of Mari B) is expected to be commissioned in the near future. This field in actual fact is two fields consisting of Noa and the Noa South. My concern is the fact that they certainly do extend into the Gaza Marine Area and therefore are a shared resource. Finally we have Gaza's own legal reserves in Marine 1 and Marine 2 all of which are totally in their own territory.

Again I ask the question do the Palestinian know this and if so what is being done to investigate and stop this exploitation by the Israeli Government? It is absolutely disgraceful that the world just watches and says nothing whilst the people in Gaza live in absolute poverty. Where is the United Nations and where is our conscience?

It is also important to note that the Oslo Accord (with manipulation by Israel) shows a buffer zone on both side of this area thus reducing the Gaza Marine Area and depriving them of their own legal territorial rights. The Israel gas platform (Mari B) actually sits barely one nautical mile from this border which again may indicate that something sinister is going on here. Gas platforms normally sit well inside the limits of their respective reserves which would again indicate that this field does extend beyond the Israeli border.

Let's now take a look at the onshore oil and gas scene. In one of my earlier articles I talked about an onshore oil field that sits very close to the north-eastern corner of Gaza. This reserve is called the Heletz Field and has been producing crude oil over many years. Some wells were drilled within the Gaza Strip and have been abandoned for some considerable time; one can only assume that one day we will see a return to exploration in this area. I would assume that with the offshore reserves in the Gaza Marine Area and the crude oil sitting close to Gaza onshore that this area could bring is some exciting finds. It is also interesting to note that such productive areas as Heletz once belonged to the Palestinians.

Over in Gaza we can see a clear indication that gas and oil does exist. The main areas of interest has been declared as Israeli Military Restricted Areas and therefore are off limits to Palestinians. It is ironic that the West Bank is zoned as Palestinian territory and yet barely a third of it is available for their usage. Historically tar frequently popped up in the Dead Sea giving a clear indication that the underground geology had something to offer.

In more recent times oil has been found on the western shores of the Dead Sea which is controlled by the Israelis. The reserves were found in the Northern, Middle and Southern shores which clearly puts them in Palestinian West Bank Territory. Because of the nature of the geology in the region I would say that oil/gas would also exist along the rift valley separating West Bank from Jordan. Exploration activity is also taking place on the other side of the border in Jordan.

So what lies ahead for the Palestinians? Will they ever see justice and have the opportunity to explore and recover their own natural resources? I have to say that Israel can do exactly what it wants, when it wants and the United Nations continues to be non effective. The United States likewise sits on the fence and says nothing and for a very good reason.....most of the oil/gas exploration programmes are Joint Ventures with US companies and such interference would be counter productive.

Israeli washing his hands in Dead Sea Oil

One must also remember that the Dead Sea area brings other natural resources that Israel has been commercialising for many years. The region has been a worldwide producer of fertilizers, some of which are based on minerals extracted from the Dead Sea. The evaporating Dead Sea waters leave behind them a unique array of chloride salts magnesium, sodium, potassium, calcium and bromine etc. The other unique aspect in such an environment is that of Health Care and Body Products. As we have already discussed the Palestinians are totally deprived of their own resource and the commercialisation of its resources is stolen by Israeli companies.

When one looks at the tourism potential available to the Palestinians we can see that if the international community stood firm and insisted that West Bank be returned to the people of Palestine we could well see a dramatic change in the prosperity of West Bank and Gaza. Only when each and every Israeli has left the region will stability return.

- Peter Eyre, Middle East Consultant