The Other Reason Trump Wants Gaza: Getting Its Off-Shore Gas
Photo credit: Today's oil rigs are basically floating cities, employing and housing hundreds of people. Terry Vine / Getty Images
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
GAZA CITY — On the land of the Gaza Strip , there is nothing but destroyed homes, countless tons of rubble, razed agricultural fields and zero economic production. This is the view in the aftermath of 15 months of war. These are matters that are of no concern to Donald Trump.
The eyes of the U.S. President, instead, are focused on the sea — and the untapped economic wealth it conceals below, within the vast potential of buried gas fields.
Trump suddenly appears quite interested in Gaza, a small area devastated by the Israeli war. Every time he has spoken about it in the past two weeks, he describes Gaza as an economic deal, speaking about it in the same manner he talks about Canada , with its vast landmass and Greenland, the world’s largest island.
In a report published by The Wall Street Journal on February 5, American sources revealed that Trump described Gaza in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “prime real estate,” urging him to consider the types of hotels and resorts that could be built there. He has since repeatedly spoken about expelling the Palestinian population from Gaza to make way for his vision of a new "Riviera" tourist destination.
But there is another deal Trump has in mind. In the waters off of Gaza are untapped gas fields, which may interest the U.S. president even more than hotels and beaches. The "Gaza Marine" field in the Eastern Mediterranean, discovered by British Petroleum in 1999, is located 36 kilometers west of the Gazan coast, spaning an area exceeding 1,000 square kilometers, according to official Palestinian figures.
Gas fields
According to data from the Palestine Investment Fund, the economic arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization , the gas reserves in the "Gaza Marine" field are estimated at 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, approximately 31 billion cubic meters. This field could contribute to achieving energy self-sufficiency, reducing reliance on imported energy sources, with development costs estimated at around $1.4 billion.
Economist Mohamed Maqdad has estimated that Palestinian gas revenues could exceed $500 million annually, "meaning that the Gaza Strip would no longer need international aid .”
(Cont'd in linked article)
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GAZA CITY — On the land of the Gaza Strip , there is nothing but destroyed homes, countless tons of rubble, razed agricultural fields and zero economic production. This is the view in the aftermath of 15 months of war. These are matters that are of no concern to Donald Trump.
The eyes of the U.S. President, instead, are focused on the sea — and the untapped economic wealth it conceals below, within the vast potential of buried gas fields.
Caused by Hamas itself not only because of what they did on Oct 7, but because contrary to all laws of conflict hid themselves, their weapons and control centres in and under hospitals, schools, mosques, UNRWA facilities and refugee camps, and in private homes and apartments. But nobody wants to talk about that because only the Jews are evil, right?
Trump suddenly appears quite interested in Gaza, a small area devastated by the Israeli war. Every time he has spoken about it in the past two weeks, he describes Gaza as an economic deal, speaking about it in the same manner he talks about Canada , with its vast landmass and Greenland, the world’s largest island.
I think he would murder his mother if he could make money from doing it.
Trump described Gaza in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “prime real estate,” urging him to consider the types of hotels and resorts that could be built there.
But there is another deal Trump has in mind. In the waters off of Gaza are untapped gas fields, which may interest the U.S. president even more than hotels and beaches.
I'll bet he even thought about golf courses and golf resorts and golf condos for all the lands behind the shoreline properties.
Trump wouldn't get the gas fields, Israel would.
The Palestinians were never able to develop the gas fields because Israel wouldn't let them. What country would want to invest a billion plus dollars when Israel (which controls all of the water off Gaza's coast) can shut them down at any time; and even destroy them?
Maybe Trump thinks Bibi will cut the US in on the rewards for allowing Israel to force the Palestinians out of Gaza. Wishful damn thinking. Israel would drop the US like a bad habit in favor of Chinese money. It isn't like Israel hasn't sold US military tech to China for the last couple of decades.
Is it innate in absolutely having to take a swipe at China even if it has nothing to do with the topic? How typical of an inferiority complex.
It came out today that Trump is demanding 50% of Ukraine's mineral wealth. I guess that is a "you have a nice little country here I wouldn't want to see anything happen to it" type scenario.
What is that Nazi Germany song about tomorrow the world belongs to us?
This:
A famous song from Cabaret movie (1972) with Liza Minelli, Joel Gray and Michael York. The rise of Nazi-party (NSDAP) in early 1930s in Germany is shown in the movie...
Lyrics:
TOMORROW BELONGS TO ME
[FELIX]
The sun on the meadow is summery warm
The stag in the forest runs free
But gather together to greet the storm
Tomorrow belongs to me
[FELIX & MEN]
The branch of the linden is leafy and green
The Rhine gives its gold to the sea
But somewhere a glory awaits unseen
Tomorrow belongs to me
Oh, fatherland, fatherland, show us the sign
Your children have waited to see
The morning will come when the world is mine
[FELIX]
Tomorrow belongs to me
[MEN, variously]
Tomorrow belongs to me
Tomorrow belongs to me
Tomorrow belongs to me
As we've discussed, IMO Casablanca is one of the best movies ever made. And there are certain scenes inthat film I think are amazing-- and that I have watched over and over.
Well, this scene in Cabaret (where they're singing "Tomorrow Belongs To Me) IMO ranks right up there with some of the best scenes in Casablanca. The acting, directing, the facial expressions, etc. are amazing.
Also the pacing-- how it gradually (and powerfully unfolds.!)
One of the great classics!!!
Agreed - an excellent movie. Although I've not watched it for many decades it was good enough for me to still see and hear in my mind's eye (and ear) scenes from that movie. I'm sure you know that Joel Grey is Jennifer's father - Jennifer Grey who was "Baby" in Dirty Dancing.
Here the short scene I was referring to (YouTube)-- Buzz you can search for "Tomorrow Belongs to Me from Cabaret".
One of the things that impressed me when watching this scene was all the facial expressions-- and the changes in expressions as the scene proceeds..
(To watch on YouTube (without having to "sign in to prove you're not a bot") do not click the White triangle in the Red box in the center of the screen-- rather, do click on the words "Watch On YouTube" in the lower right corner)
I did long ago - I watched it. That's what made me think about it.
Especially the Old Man!
John you definitely win the prize-- best comment of the day/week/month!
It came out as a proposal only, to which Zelensky said no. End of story.
That depends on if the left can find something to whine about in its place
Not very hard for them.
I don't know what Zalensky was offered in return...?
So, why don't the oil producing countries of the Middle East who have allied themselves to Palestinian statehood jump in and develop the natural gas? Seems like that would be a win-win for Palestinians and the oil producers.
Why aren't energy starved European countries rushing in to develop the gas field? Sounds like that would overcome the problem of dependence on Russian gas.
But, no, it's all Trump, all the time. The facts and common sense must be twisted into a pretzel just so Trump can be blamed. The more rational explanation for Trump's interest in Gaza is that Hamas hasn't been destroyed. Israel (and perhaps allies) are going to have do all of this again sometime in the future. It's all too obvious that Palestinians are uninterested in any sort of economic development.
Nope.
In fact I remember the original plan, some time ago. And IIRC, it was before Trump even entered politics!
It was a good plane-- Israel, the Palestinians, Britain and Egypt were to work together. (Great benefit for all parties!)
So maybe for you its "All Trump, all the time"...but obviously your knowledge of the area-- and especially the history is lacking.