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Energy Scarcity Makes for Strange Bedfellows
An Israeli energy newsletter has revealed Israel is secretly buying oil from Iran despite an official boycott. The newsletter EnergiaNews reports Israeli companies get around the boycott by having the oil delivered to European ports, where it is then bought by Israelis. The oil is then imported into Israel by the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company, which keeps its oil sources secret.
It's important keep this sort of thing in mind as it is far more illustrative of the realities that shape dealings in the Middle East than is the rhetoric that we hear coming out of both Israel and Iran.
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Comments (10)
Not that I don't believe that this could be true, but the item you quote is evidence-free. Too bad that I can't read the original Hebrew. Nonetheless, I'm skeptical.
April 8, 2008 8:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, the newsletter clearly exists, but I can't read it either. The trouble with this sort of thing is that no official would likely confirm it. However, I have continued to look for corroboration and I just found this over at the Guardian:
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/richard_silverstein/2008/04/israels_tehran_connection.html
The source is still EnergiaNews, but it's not like it's Prison Planet that's reporting this. Anyhow, skepticism is always due and the fact is that relationships like this will become impossible to avoid to the increasing scarcity of petroleum.
April 8, 2008 8:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, at least there's a little more info in that one. Frankly, I think that it's a good thing for enemies to trade. It makes them less likely to attack each other.
April 8, 2008 9:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I'm not saying that anyone should be either surprised or appalled by this. I was sort of trying to say that in my initial post, but perhaps I didn't go a very good job. At any rate, that's what I meant about all of the rhetoric, for example:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j659KQWTRiLRyWq4QWMJe-bS2u8w
And of course we all know of the kindred rhetoric from the Iranian side of the equation. However, in reality none of these countries exist in a bubble. In that sense I would find it more surprising if there was some sort of evidence that this genuinely were not occurring.
April 8, 2008 9:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is why we need to have funding for renewable energy sources.
DF, glad to have you back.
April 8, 2008 9:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't call it a comeback, I was here the whole time! Last week was just pretty busy for me and there wasn't really anything that caught my eye news-wise. Plus, a lot of the Cafe stuff seemed pre-occupied with some pretty boilerplate bickering and I just had other things to do. I will say that you won't see any "So long and thanks for all of the fish" posts from me anytime soon. I ain't goin' nowheres!
April 8, 2008 9:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I will say that you won't see any "I've got a crush...on DF" posts from me either, love.
Unless, of course, you like them. ;-)
April 8, 2008 9:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that the evidence is scant but I find it believable all the same. I mean, our own multinationals turned many a contortion to get oil from Iran during the 80s... I always find it funny that Republicans who say "You want lower gas prices, then drill ANWR!" don't agitate against the sanctions we have, unilaterally, against Iran. They only have more oil than, well, anyone...
April 8, 2008 10:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is encouraging ... if it's true, Iran and Israel aren't likely to attack each other. I certainly hope any sabre-rattling on either side is just posturing.
On the other hand, it's a little depressing that, as yet, we haven't come up with a viable alternative to burning fossil fuels, or, failing that, at least to contain the damage we're doing.
*sigh*
April 9, 2008 12:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
There are alternatives, but it's doubtful that they'll become mainstream while petroleum is the cheapest and most abundant form of energy.
April 9, 2008 2:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
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