Qatar on Thursday pledged $ 60 million to build a natural gas pipeline from Israel into the Gaza Strip that will end the energy crisis that has helped slow down Gaza’s economy.
A Qatari statement, published on the Foreign Ministry’s website, came two days after a report that closed-door talks on the pipeline had taken place.
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A photo taken by a drone shows Gaza ‘s single power plant, in the middle of the Gaza Strip
(Photo: Reuters)
Qatar that is publicly on board will give another impetus to the project, which has a target date of 2023 for completion.
The plan is for natural gas from a Chevron-operated deep-water Leviathan field in eastern Mediterranean to flow through a pipeline into Israel, and from there into Gaza through a new expansion intended.
The European Union said it had pledged more than $ 24,448,800 to fund the pipeline on the Gaza side of the border.
Qatar said it had pledged “a sum of $ 60 million to fund the project to supply the gas to the Gaza Strip to resolve the electricity crisis,” and that “this sum will be met to expand gas pipelines from the Israeli side. “
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh welcomed the pledge and said the pipeline will “completely solve the electricity problem in Gaza.”
With pipeline funding secured, what remains is a gas purchase agreement with Leviathan field partners.
For years the project was a distant sight due to Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as conflict within Palestine, but officials said Israeli, Palestinian, Qatari and European interests have come together in recent weeks making plans nas concrait.
Israel and Egypt are maintaining a tight embargo on Gaza, citing security concerns about the Islamic militant group Hamas, which took control of the land in 2007.
Today, Gaza’s only power station produces electricity for about 12 hours a day on diesel, more expensive fuel and pollution.