|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/world/middleeast/19egypt.html
Egyptian Court Annuls Natural Gas Deal with Israel
[New York Times] Mona El-Naggar - An Egyptian court on Tuesday ordered the government to stop piping natural gas to Israel, saying the 15-year contract was improperly awarded because it was not approved by Parliament. The government said it would appeal the decision, and officials in Cairo and Israel said gas would continue to flow. The case has raised difficult political issues for Egypt. Officials must walk a tightrope between maintaining relations with their neighbor and mollifying public opinion, which is often hostile to the Jewish state. Under an agreement signed in 2005, Egypt agreed to deliver 1.7 billion cubic meters of gas to Israel over a 15-year period. The gas began to flow in May.