How does this help? Both Turkey and Israel have ports on the Mediterranean.
Posted on 08/02/2006 11:04:15 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Turkey and Israel are negotiating the construction of a multi-million-dollar energy and water project that will transport water, electricity, natural gas and oil by pipelines to Israel, with the oil to be sent onward from Israel to the Far East, Antalya Mayor Menderes Turel said this week... "We are talking about a global energy project, which would be a very important engine of peace in the region," Turel said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. Turel, who was here to take part in an International Conference of Mayors held in Jerusalem, said that the grandiose project had received tentative approval from both Turkey and Israel and would greatly enhance an abrogated landmark 2004 proposal to export water to Israel using large tankers, which proved to be prohibitively expensive. The new Turkish-Israeli proposal under discussion would see the transfer of water, electricity, natural gas and oil to Israel via four underwater pipelines... The water would be earmarked for Israel as well as for the Palestinian territories and Jordan, who are all suffering from chronic water shortages. The natural gas and electricity would be geared for Israeli use, at a time when Israel hopes that 40 percent of its energy needs by the end of the decade will be met by natural gas, Levy said. According to the most elaborate part of the proposal, the oil sent to Israel from Turkey would then be transferred by tankers to the Far East, including to India, China and South Korea, he added. "The future of emerging energy markets is in the East," the Antalya mayor said.
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
I didn't see a topic on this, and hadn't previously been aware of this update, so here it is. The proposed pipelines would be anchored to the ocean floor, and provide (most importantly) water for Israel, Jordan (a bunch of Jordan's water supply is illegally interdicted by Syria, and has been for decades), and Gaza. Natural gas would be for Israel's use, and oil would be transshipped from Aqaba to Far East markets, turning Israel into a minor exporter of hydrocarbon energy. Amusing. The path to peace is commerce.
How about slide tunnel going from Southern Lebanon directly to the depths of the Mediterranean sea...the Hizbollah Cowa bunga...
Wow, this will make a prized target for the Hezzies.
In their dreams, maybe.
How does this help? Both Turkey and Israel have ports on the Mediterranean.
I guess they could get into the Indian Ocean without traversing the Suez Canal, and it beats trying to deal with Syria, Jordan, Iraq or Egypt.
It saves having to go through the Suez Canal. It's always a good idea to have alternative routes, it keeps costs lower. Also, Turkey (regardless of who is in charge in the Turkish parliament) wants peace to break out all over the Middle East. It would help business for Turkey (which is already decent), by opening up stable markets outside of its European neighbors. Also, it could very well help Turkey (and perhaps Israel) enter the EU at long last.
Just speculating, but Israel has a port at Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba that connects to the Red Sea and out to the Indian Ocean. The pipeline would give Turkey a cheap way to get oil to the east without having to ship around Africa or long pipelines overland through Iraq, Iran, or Central Asia.
Imagine, the Turks wanting to sell oil (someone else's, to boot) to a couple of expanding markets (India and China). One would think that the price of crude is really high or something, and bound to go higher. Silly notion. :')
I forgot about Elat and didn't zoom in enough to see it.
Thanks!
They're going to send electricity through a pipeline? Must be new technology. Previously it had to go by ship or truck.
Hmm. Didn't see the part about electricity, probably refers to using natural gas in Israeli power plants.
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