As countries move away from oil and coal towards greener sources of energy, natural gas offers a bridge from oil to a more renewable future and green energy infrastructure in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement. Seeking to reduce its reliance on Russian energy, the European Union has committed funds to the Interconnector, deeming it a Project of Common Interest (PCI) that will bridge Asia and Europe.īut energy independence is just one bridge built by this diplomacy. The Interconnector-geared to become the world’s longest and deepest underwater cable-will link Israel’s power grid to the European one, forming another bridge to the West. What started as a partnership based on energy has developed into something much broader and strategic. It established formal relations with Greece and Cyprus decades ago, but it’s just within the past decade that the Israel-Greece-Cyprus trilateral relationship has transformed the Eastern Mediterranean into a real political and economic region. Israel’s more secure boundary has long been the Mediterranean Sea. Now, Israel has inked a deal to export its own gas to Egypt. They were no longer beholden to regimes that didn’t align with their interests. When Greece, Cyprus and Israel discovered their own natural-gas reserves, an angel appeared. For the first time, a major source of natural gas in the region was controlled by Western democracies. Meanwhile, Cyprus also paid a premium for energy from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Saudi Arabia-some of which exploited Greece by offering gas and oil on credit at the height of the country’s economic crisis. The pipeline carrying gas to Israel through the Sinai Peninsula was regularly sabotaged. But under the regime of Mohamed Morsi, the stability of that supply faced constant threats. Israel relied on Egypt for 40 percent of its natural-gas supply. In 2005, Israel’s diplomatic ties warmed with Egypt, which signed a 15-year agreement to export natural gas to the Jewish state. Since its independence in 1948, Israel’s energy security has been tenuous at best. Numerous bilateral and trilateral agreements between Greece, Israel and Cyprus have yielded strategic military alliances, including shared intelligence, technology and joint drills to bolster security. Energy agreements have lessened their dependence on nefarious regimes. For the last decade, Greece and its partners have forged a new model of statecraft focused on cooperation and investments in technology-a prototype for the Abraham Accords that pave the way for normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world. Stretching 2,700 meters underneath the Mediterranean Sea, the high-voltage highway offers more independence for Greece and its allies.Īccelerating the interconnector is only one piece of the energy diplomacy that offers stability to the region. While ancient Greek culture pioneered democracy, philosophy, geometry and more, modern Greece kick-started a more recent seismic shift: normalization with the State of Israel.Įnergy ministers from Greece, Cyprus and Israel have agreed to speed up work on the Euro-Asia Interconnector, a 2,000-megawatt underwater cable that connects the three countries to European and Asian power grids and cements their standing as energy exporters. Modern Greece is marking its bicentennial, celebrating the nation’s emergence from 400 years of rule under the Ottoman Empire. Resources on the Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations.The State of Antisemitism in America Report.AJC's Call to Action Against Antisemitism.Your Hub for AJC News and Analysis Main navigation
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