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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/01/23/world/middleeast/ap-ml-israel-energy-politics.html
Natural Gas Fields Give Israel a Regional Political Boost
(AP-New York Times) Aron Heller - A decade after discovering natural gas fields off its Mediterranean coast, Israel is starting to feel the geopolitical boost, building bridges with its neighbors even without significant progress being made toward peace with the Palestinians. Last week's inclusion of Israel into the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum in Cairo marked the first time Arab countries accepted Israel into such a regional alliance. "I think this is the most significant economic cooperation between Egypt and Israel since the signing of the peace treaty 40 years ago," said Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz. "The discovery of significant gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean has also political value because it brings all of us...together to cooperate with each other." Israel already delivers gas to the Palestinians and to Jordan, and will begin exporting gas to Egypt in the coming months.