Is Israel’s Operation Protective Edge Really About Natural Gas?

[ellenrr]

While many articles have debunked the myth that Israel is acting out of “self-defense,” very few have attempted to establish why Israel is continuing its assault on Palestine through Operation Protective Edge, aside from the supposition that Zionists have a fanatic penchant for drawing Palestinian blood. Behind the operation, behind the mass Israeli and U.S. propaganda attempting to justify the massacre, and behind the death of every child in Gaza is a conflict rarely discussed, an imperialist conflict and a contradiction that rests on Israel’s ambitions to appropriate and profit from Gaza’s natural gas resources.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/07/18/is-israels-operation-protective-edge-really-about-natural-gas/

[Downwinder]

1. Climate wars.

[cali]

2. no. this is dumb. first off- it's a continuation of longstanding

policy, repugnant in its own right: "mowing the lawn". Secondly, it ignores the strong strain of "never again" that runs deep in Israeli politics and within its military. Call it paranoia or whatever, it's nonsense to not acknowledge it. Thirdly, this piece of shit article- and it really is dog shit- ignores the Tamar gas fields offshore in Israel's exclusive economic zone. Fourth, this is hate. and the author, Tascha Shahriari-Parsa couldn't be clearer on that despite his lame demurrals. I'm so sick of the demonization of Israelis by a part of one side and Palestinians by a part of another. I'd like to ship all the putrid little haters to separate desert islands.

I am so not surprised that you posted this.

[Igel]

3. Small reserves off Gaza.

Larger fields being tapped off Israel's coast.

With much, much larger fields waiting to be tapped off Israel's coast.

It's not the fact that's presented that is misleading; it's all the facts that are left out that leave you following the one presented fact into an error. Unless you know facts, critical thinking as a menu option is grayed out.

At current rates of use, just the known fields off Israel's coast, using conservative estimates--and not counting anything off Gaza--will provide Israel's energy needs for 60-80 years. Add in Gaza and you get a couple of years' more.

It's a clever way of saying it's not about Israel's wanting safety or security, it's really all about Jews' grasping after other people's gold.

[bemildred]

4. Nah. nt