Counterpunch. Daily Sabah. Middle East Monitor. The Guardian.
The meme goes like this: Israel has always hungered after the gas that BP is said to have found off of Gaza's coast in 2000. But it doesn't want Hamas to get hold of it because it will be used to fund terror, and also because Israel needs the gas badly. So Israel has been trying to negotiate with the PA to get the rights to the gas, and it tries to destroy Hamas every few years to take it out of the game.
A couple of these articles are savvy enough to note that since 2000, Israel has made some major gas discoveries as well. But, we are told, those will not be commercially available until 2017 or 2020 (depending on the article) and Israel wants the Gaza gas now.
OK, how stupid is this?
First of all, the Gaza gas is much further away from being commercially available than the Leviathan and Tamar gas fields that are within Israeli territorial waters according to everyone (except the people writing these articles who claim they are disputed, which is wrong.)
Secondly,the Tamar field is already pumping gas today.
Thirdly, while these articles breathlessly tell us that the Gaza fields hold 1.4 trillion cubic feet of gas, they don't mention the size of the Israeli fields:
- Tamar - proven reserves of 7.9 trillion cubic feet, and 3 trillion more in probable reserves.
- Leviathan - 16 trillion cubic feet.
- Sarah and Myra - a 54% probability of 6.5 trillion cubic feet
The Gaza gas field is small potatoes compared to existing Israeli fields, very far from ever being commercialized, and subject to attack by terrorist rockets. Why would Israel wage a war under those circumstances?
Ah, but if you think of the stereotype of the greedy Jew, then it all starts to make sense...
UPDATE: The estimated value of the Gaza gas field is about $4 billion. Protective Edge has cost the Israeli economy about $3.6 billion; this is not counting Pillar of Defense and Cast Lead.
Those greedy Jews aren't very good at math, are they?
(h/t Bacon Eater)