Egypt Again Presents Itself as Regional Natural Gas Export Hub

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attend a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 18 July 2022. (EPA)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attend a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 18 July 2022. (EPA)
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Egypt Again Presents Itself as Regional Natural Gas Export Hub

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attend a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 18 July 2022. (EPA)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attend a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 18 July 2022. (EPA)

Egypt has against presented itself to the world as a regional natural gas export hub, vowing to provide facilitations to mitigate the effect of the European crisis caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said his country is willing to provide the required facilitations to transfer gas from the Middle East to Europe, citing an agreement signed between Cairo and the European Union.

Speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday, he stressed that Cairo is prepared to lay the foundations for a strong partnership with Germany in the field of energy.

This can be achieved through either exporting natural gas to Berlin and the EU or establishing an extended partnership with Germany, in line with Egypt’s ambitious vision to transform into a hub for producing and exporting clean energy, especially green hydrogen and solar and wind energy.

Sisi pointed out that his country preempted the crisis by establishing the Cairo-based Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum to develop the region’s gas market and benefit from the available facilitations and potentials in Egypt to transfer gas to consumers.

In 2018, Egypt introduced an initiative to establish the forum as a platform for structured policy dialogue on natural gas.

During the tripartite summit held in Crete in October that year, leaders of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece declared their intention to establish the forum.

In March 2021, the forum’s charter entered into force with Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestine joining as members. France joined later, and the United States and the EU joined as observers.

In mid-June, Egypt, Israel and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding to boost gas exports to Europe.

Director and founder of European North African Center for Research Sara Kira said Europe hadn’t developed a neighborhood policy with Mediterranean countries since 2011.

However, she pointed out that Egypt was able to reach out to European countries to achieve common interests.

She told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo introduced itself as a major political and economic player that is capable of resolving the European countries’ crises.

This helps increase its political and economic clout, and accordingly help address its regional issues in the future, she remarked.

Egypt is seeking to transform into a regional gas trade hub in the Mediterranean by taking advantage of its liquefaction stations, through which it can import explored gas in the eastern Mediterranean to liquefy and re-export, namely Europe, the country’s state information service said.

It seeks to achieve self-sufficiency in domestic supplies and attracting raw gas discovered in Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and other regional countries, liquefying it in its stations and then exporting it.

Kira said Cairo has been working to become an energy hub for Europe as part of its efforts to localize technology and achieve development in the future.

“Egypt’s current policy towards Europe helps achieve bilateral interests as Europe can no longer rely on one source to meets its energy needs,” she explained.



Israeli Cabinet Approves Expansion of Gaza Offensive

Israeli soldiers walk in the grounds of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzim attacked by Palestinian Hamas group earlier this month, close to the southern Israeli border with the Gaza Strip on October 27, 2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Israeli soldiers walk in the grounds of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzim attacked by Palestinian Hamas group earlier this month, close to the southern Israeli border with the Gaza Strip on October 27, 2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
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Israeli Cabinet Approves Expansion of Gaza Offensive

Israeli soldiers walk in the grounds of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzim attacked by Palestinian Hamas group earlier this month, close to the southern Israeli border with the Gaza Strip on October 27, 2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Israeli soldiers walk in the grounds of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzim attacked by Palestinian Hamas group earlier this month, close to the southern Israeli border with the Gaza Strip on October 27, 2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet has approved a gradual expansion of the offensive against Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Monday, citing sources with knowledge of the details.

The Israeli military has already begun issuing tens of thousands of call-up orders for its reserve forces, looking to expand the Gaza campaign, army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement on Sunday.

In a video message posted on X on Sunday, hours after part of a missile launched from Yemen by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia fell close to Israel's main gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu said he was convening the security cabinet to discuss "the next stage" of the war in Gaza.

"We are increasing the pressure with the goal of returning our people (hostages) and defeating Hamas," Zamir told troops, according to the statement from the army.

Israel resumed ground operations in Gaza in March after the collapse of a US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months, Reuters said.

The security cabinet also approved a new plan for aid distribution in Gaza, Israel’s Ynet news website reported on Monday, though it was unclear when supplies would be let in to the enclave.

Israel is in control of around a third of Gaza's territory and has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March.

Israel has defended the blockade by saying that Hamas has seized aid intended for civilians and kept it for its own fighters or sold it, charges that Hamas has denied.

Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken hostage into Gaza in the deadliest day for Israel in its history.

The campaign has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities and devastated the Gaza Strip, leaving its 2.3 million population depending on aid supplies that have been dwindling rapidly since the blockade.