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How Israel Is Leveraging Energy to Advance Geostrategic Objectives
(Fathom-BICOM) Ezra Friedman - Israel has tens of trillions of proven natural gas reserves within its Exclusive Economic Zone and potentially tens of trillions more that could be discovered. The discovery of gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean has given Israel new avenues to pursue foreign policy objectives: to create energy self-sufficiency, enhance regional stability within the Eastern Mediterranean region, and normalize relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The formation of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) with Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Jordan, and the PA is creating the diplomatic space to facilitate a sustainable regional gas market, providing Israeli gas with export opportunities to its neighbors while increasing regional economic interdependence. The EMGF, founded in January 2019 in Cairo, also provides increased credibility to pre-existing gas deals between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan. The writer is an analyst at Global Risk Insights.