Strategic Dimensions of Egyptian-Israeli Gas Deals

Summary

This study aims at making a comprehensive assessment of the Israeli-Egyptian gas deal and addressing its political, strategic, and economic dimensions within the framework of the regional and international interactions in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

The huge gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which are likely to expand in the future, have met the domestic needs of regional countries with a possibility to export the surplus to international markets. However, the growing demand on natural gas all over the world is likely to lead to major transformations in policies of the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region – an extremely sensitive region that suffers from several political crises – and the creation of new maps of conflicts, alliances, and deals, most notably the gas deal between Egypt and Israel in early 2018. Furthermore, the natural gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean have also pushed international powers towards engagement in competition and keenness on maintaining effective presence in the region.