Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Energy as an Element of Israel's National Security

From The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Vol. 8, No. 13, 26 October 2008, by Brig.-Gen. (res.) Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Minister of National Infrastructures:
  • Israel today is at the height of a revolution whose main focus is the integration of natural gas into the electricity and industrial sectors. The desalination plant in Ashkelon, which is one of the largest in the world, is using natural gas, as is the paper mill in Hadera.
  • Israel is in contact with the government of Turkey regarding the construction of an infrastructure corridor called the Med Stream, which is planned to contain three pipelines. One is for crude oil, meaning that what arrives through the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline or the Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline will continue on to Israel. The second pipeline will be for natural gas. The third pipeline could be used for water, electricity, or even fiber optic communications.
  • Israel is one of the leading countries in the world in developing technologies to produce electricity through renewable energy, mostly in the solar field. The National Infrastructures Ministry envisions a plan up to the year 2020 that will guarantee energy in the coming decades based on 40 percent natural gas, 40 percent coal, and up to 20 percent renewable energy.
  • Ahmadinejad with nuclear weaponry means a different Middle East, and the first victim is not going to be Israel. The first victims are going to be Arab countries, the Sunni countries in the Gulf area, Egypt and Jordan. Some of them are the West's best allies, but the West is keeping quiet. The answer to this threat is very clear: cooperation and coordination between all countries, because all of us are going to be targets.
  • If Europe and America want to guarantee their security, then they have to respond to Iran. It doesn't have to be a military response. It's enough that a decision be taken to totally isolate Iran - no import, no export. If this is done, then it will be enough.

To view the full article, click here.

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