Highlights: Is Eni stealing Palestinian gas in collusion with Israel?. The Italian government is the largest shareholder in the energy giant Eni, with a stake of 32% (social networking sites) The Palestinian Gaza Marine field is one of the oldest gas fields discovered in the eastern Mediterranean region. Despite the discovery of the Gaza offshore field since 2000, its resources, which are estimated at more than one trillion cubic feet of natural gas, are still locked in the ground. Eni confirmed that "no agreement in particular has yet to be signed, and that it currently has no activity in the region"
The issue of the Gaza gas field returned to the spotlight following the legal notice sent by the American law firm Foley Hoag - on behalf of Palestinian human rights organizations - to the Italian company “Eni” and international and Israeli energy companies.
The Italian government is the largest shareholder in the energy giant Eni, with a stake of 32% (social networking sites)
Rome -
The Palestinian Gaza Marine field is one of the oldest gas fields discovered in the eastern Mediterranean region, and it is seen as a promising opportunity for the Palestinians who suffer from a scarcity of energy resources, amid their suffering from the Israeli occupation.
Despite the discovery of the Gaza offshore field since 2000, its resources, which are estimated at more than one trillion cubic feet of natural gas - which far exceeds the needs of the Palestinian people - are still locked in the ground and have not been exploited commercially until now due to Israel’s obstruction of all efforts aimed at establishing an independent energy infrastructure. For the Palestinians, it is also trying to seize these resources to export them through deals with neighboring countries with the participation of European Union member states.
Warning
At the beginning of this month, the issue of the Gaza gas field returned to the spotlight following the legal notice sent by the American law firm Foley Hoag - on behalf of Palestinian human rights organizations - to the Italian energy giant Eni and other international and Israeli energy companies.
The office warned it not to proceed with exploration activities in the Gaza offshore well, which is owned by the Palestinian people, in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which the State of Palestine signed in 2019.
This warning comes after Israel announced last October 29 that it had granted a license to the Italian energy company to operate in the Gaza field, which Palestinian human rights organizations considered a violation of international law.
Director of the Center for International Legal Studies, Fabio Marcelli, said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that Eni's contract with Israel constitutes a violation of international law, which prohibits the occupying authority from disposing of the natural resources found in the lands it occupies, including the adjacent marine areas.
Marcelli warned that the company's mere initiation of exploration activities to exploit resources belonging to the Palestinians would make it a partner of the State of Israel, which is now burdened with accurate and documented accusations of committing genocide before the International Court of Justice.
The same spokesman pointed out that "Eni's complicity" - which is considered a public company - in such crimes will extend to the government of Georgia Meloni, which is working to supply Israel with part of the weapons it uses to carry out genocide in the Gaza Strip.
For its part, Eni explained - in an exclusive statement to Al Jazeera Net - that it "obtained - along with other companies - exploration licenses based on an international tender, and that licenses related to the exploration activities expected in October 2023 were granted."
The company confirmed that "no agreement in particular has yet to be signed, and that it currently has no activity in the region, and that wherever it operates, it is keen to ensure that its activities are consistent with international law and best safety practices."
A legal warning to the Italian company “Eni” not to explore in the Gaza offshore field that belongs to the Palestinian people (Reuters)
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With the continuation of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the matter has become embarrassing, not only for Eni, but also for the Italian government itself, which is the largest shareholder in the company by 32%.
This was evident in the responses of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tayani - last Wednesday - during the parliamentary questioning when he tried to evade the government's responsibility in this case, stressing that the company located in the entire Mediterranean region is listed on the stock exchange and operates according to market rules.
Tayani tried to downplay the importance of the agreement, referring to Eni’s confirmation that the contract is still under preparation, and that there are no ongoing exploration operations yet in the area in question.
He also tried to reduce the pressure exerted on the Italian company, pointing out the importance of reconciling economic interests with the legitimate aspirations of peoples, and stressing the necessity of defining borders and maritime areas in accordance with rules dictated by international law.
The government official added, "We are facing an issue of conflict of interest, and the best solution is the path of mediation, dialogue, and finding solutions through negotiation, similar to the agreement reached by Lebanon and Israel in October 2022 regarding the demarcation of their maritime borders."
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Net, Angelo Bonelli, the official spokesman for Green Europe and representative of the Green and Left Alliance, denounced Tayani's statements, describing them as unacceptable.
Bonelli - who interrogated the Foreign Minister in Parliament regarding the issue - confirmed that Israel - in accordance with Article 55 of the Hague Treaty - does not have the right to use Palestinian natural resources to achieve its own economic gains.
He said, "We know very well that the energy issue is very important to our country, but there are also lofty morals and values that lead us to say that at a time when more than 30,000 Palestinian civilians are being killed today, there are those who are trying to steal their resources to achieve their own profits."
In response to Al Jazeera Net's question about what initiatives he intends to take during the coming period, the Italian MP revealed his party's intention to plead before the European Court of Justice against the company "Eni" in an international case.
Discreetly
For his part, journalist Alberto Negri - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net - described Tayani's statements as "ridiculous", and that they were "a desperate attempt to climb onto a sheet of glass."
He said that the minister's talk about the absence of any activities yet to exploit Palestinian natural resources is due to the fact that the exploration phase has not begun and must be completed.
Negri explained to Al Jazeera Net, "Eni has certainly not spoken in the past, nor even the Italian government, about concluding an agreement with Israel to exploit the Gaza gas field. Had it not been for the warning that reached the company in the past few days, this incident would have remained hidden from Italian public opinion."
He explained the attempt by Eni and the Italian government to conceal the agreement by saying that the war and the Israeli massacres against the Palestinians had already begun, and therefore they had to announce their suspension as a minimum.
Negri added, "Our Foreign Minister's talk about conflicts of interest and preferring the path of mediation and dialogue in such cases is nothing but a speck of dust in the eyes, because Eni did not negotiate with the Palestinians, but only with the Israeli government, even though the Gaza Marine field was discovered a year ago." 2000, and the Palestinians have not been able to extract gas from it until now due to the severe blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip since 2007.”
Source: Al Jazeera
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