According to a report, US President Joe Biden’s energy security advisor is on a visit to Israel, to discuss the prevention of a 2nd front on the Lebanese-Israeli border, in addition to engaging in talks on energy-related matters.
According to a Haaretz report, US President Joe Biden’s energy security advisor, Amos Hochstein, is currently visiting Israel for discussions to prevent a second front from opening between Lebanon and Israel amid ongoing fighting with Hezbollah.
This visit would also focus on talks over undeveloped offshore natural gas fields off the coast of Gaza, with aims of planning their use for the strip’s potential economic revitalization.
Israel issued a preliminary approval for the development of a gas field off Gaza’s coast in June, stressing the need for security coordination with both Egypt and the Palestinian Authority.
The Gaza Marine field, almost 20 miles off the coast of Gaza, has remained undeveloped despite holding an estimated 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. This amount is hypothetically more than what is needed to provide energy to the Palestinian territories, while some of it could be potentially exported.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
