Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed an inter-ministerial team to examine alternatives to Israel's current gas exports.
One of the options being considered is the construction of an underwater pipeline from Türkiye to Israel's largest offshore natural gas field, Leviathan.
Under the plan, gas will be directed to Türkiye and subsequently to southern European nations aiming to decrease their reliance on the Russian pipeline.
The proposed pipeline aims to link the key Turkish-European pipeline with the abundant gas reserves in Israel and neighboring areas such as Egypt and the UAE.
The initiative seeks to establish a viable alternative gas supply for Europe, as the region looks to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
Sources in Tel Aviv said that the order to establish the team was given in a meeting attended by the Prime Minister together with Energy Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Israel's National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi.
It comes amid a push by the companies owning the reservoir to increase its gas exports.
Last week, Katz approved the increase of gas exports from the Tamar reservoir to Egypt.
For years, Türkiye has pressured Israel to build the pipeline, but the latter feared the move could harm its relations with Türkiye's neighbors Cyprus and Greece and with the project planned to run through their waters in the eastern Mediterranean.
Netanyahu is set to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the coming weeks amid the latest warming of ties between the two nations. The meeting, originally planned for July 28 was postponed after Netanyahu was forced to undergo an operation to implant a pacemaker last month.
Observers in Tel Aviv saw a link between the visit and Netanyahu's instruction to form a team.
Political sources said that Netanyahu knows that Erdogan wants this pipeline to pass through Türkiye to Europe.
They added that Netanyahu should expect Türkiye to demand tangible steps in this regard.
