Making Friends and Keeping Them
Israel, which has for so long tried to use diplomatic overtures to bring it friends on the international scene, turned also to science and technology to aid and assist and influence countries both in the Middle East and beyond to turn a kind, neighbourly eye to its existence. Israel has shared its discoveries and techniques in desalinating water for consumption and irrigation,and it has shared its agricultural technologies for the improvement of other countries' resources.
All of which have traditionally gained it respect and friendship. That respect and friendship has a way of evaporating when, as happens now and again the more belligerent of Israel's neighbours, effect a boycott, refusing to export oil and gas to those countries in support of Israel, and Israel then finds itself isolated again. And then, a funny thing happened on the way to survival, when oil deposits and huge gas reserves were found within Israel.
Just as Saudi Arabia has been assuring countries that import Iran's crude oil for refining that under the new, more biting sanctions, it is prepared itself to extract more oil and guarantee to fill in the gaps for Iran's current clients facing shortages under sanctions because it fears Iran's nuclear agenda, so too can Israel now entice its friends back to its court with its newfound wealth.
Israel has discovered a new alliance with Cyprus which has also discovered a vast wealth of oil reserves in its portion of the Mediterranean, albeit vigorously challenged by Turkey for ownership. And there's where a soupcon of sweet revenge raises itself, with Turkey relinquishing under its new Islamist government, its long-time friendship with Israel, in support of Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.
Israel and Cyprus now co-operate in development and extraction of their hydrocarbons. And Greece too is eager to join them to create a triumvirate of friendly fossil-fuel-rich exploiters. And here's another irony; Greece, which once sought to establish an energetic trade with Egypt and where close to a quarter-million Greeks had settled, is left now with 5,000 Greek citizens still in Egypt, the great preponderance having left as a result of Egyptian persecution of Christians.
Turkey is determined to stop both Greece and Cyprus in their plans to exploit their hydrocarbons, claiming that this is Turkish territory. And guess whose corner of the boxing ring Israel now sits in? And joining Israel in oil wealth and foreign co-operation as well now is South Sudan, which Israel was instrumental in assisting toward separation and nationhood.
All of which have traditionally gained it respect and friendship. That respect and friendship has a way of evaporating when, as happens now and again the more belligerent of Israel's neighbours, effect a boycott, refusing to export oil and gas to those countries in support of Israel, and Israel then finds itself isolated again. And then, a funny thing happened on the way to survival, when oil deposits and huge gas reserves were found within Israel.
Just as Saudi Arabia has been assuring countries that import Iran's crude oil for refining that under the new, more biting sanctions, it is prepared itself to extract more oil and guarantee to fill in the gaps for Iran's current clients facing shortages under sanctions because it fears Iran's nuclear agenda, so too can Israel now entice its friends back to its court with its newfound wealth.
Israel has discovered a new alliance with Cyprus which has also discovered a vast wealth of oil reserves in its portion of the Mediterranean, albeit vigorously challenged by Turkey for ownership. And there's where a soupcon of sweet revenge raises itself, with Turkey relinquishing under its new Islamist government, its long-time friendship with Israel, in support of Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.
Israel and Cyprus now co-operate in development and extraction of their hydrocarbons. And Greece too is eager to join them to create a triumvirate of friendly fossil-fuel-rich exploiters. And here's another irony; Greece, which once sought to establish an energetic trade with Egypt and where close to a quarter-million Greeks had settled, is left now with 5,000 Greek citizens still in Egypt, the great preponderance having left as a result of Egyptian persecution of Christians.
Turkey is determined to stop both Greece and Cyprus in their plans to exploit their hydrocarbons, claiming that this is Turkish territory. And guess whose corner of the boxing ring Israel now sits in? And joining Israel in oil wealth and foreign co-operation as well now is South Sudan, which Israel was instrumental in assisting toward separation and nationhood.
Labels: Israel, Politics of Convenience, Technology, Trade, Traditions, Turkey
posted by Pieface | 7:51 PM
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