Incarceration, militarisation and gas: the case of Gaza (Workshop 2/4)
This blog is the second of a four part write-up of our ‘Energy and Imperialism for Climate Organisers’ workshop, delivered at the Geef Tegengas Climate Camp, Rotterdam the 30th August this year. It has been co-written by WeSmellGas and Disrupt Power.
Palestine is critical to understand how energy imperialism manifests carceral conditions. Energy is the fuel used to obliterate Palestinian life, it is the natural resource used to justify illegal blockades and it is infrastructure that ensures Palestinians are a captive market to the Zionist project. It is a key component in the settler colonial occupation of historic Palestine, and the ongoing genocide.
Energy, in all its forms - coal, crude oil and natural gas - play an active role in either fuelling or financing the genocidal bombardment in Gaza. The Israeli war machine cannot function without a steady supply of imported fuel - that currently powers its military vehicles, aircraft and warships. It is crude oil that powers the tankers, refined jet fuel that runs fighter jets and natural gas that electrifies the arms factories and military training centres. As such, energy is indivisible from ‘the state of Israel’s’ ability to perform this genocide.
However, this workshop will specifically talk about fossil gas - how the natural resource and its infrastructures are used by the Zionist entity to quite literally incarcerate (imprison) and militarise Palestinian life. It will show how existing reserves, critical infrastructures, new gas exploration licences and LNG exports to Europe, are each used to sustain and fuel the settler occupation and genocide in historic Palestine. In doing so, we prove how the fight against gas and energy is not merely ‘a climate problem’ but must be understood as a fight against key agents of global imperialism and settler colonial violence.
This workshop will use the tool: ‘Follow the money, Find the violence’, tracing the purchase, development and sale of gas to unpack how it incarcerates and militarises Palestinian life.
Existing Reserves: A Captive Market
In the last decade, several large gas reserves have been found off the coast of historic Palestine in the Levantine Basin. The majority of these reserves lie in Palestinian waters yet are solely controlled and utilised by its settler colonial Occupier: ‘Israel’ .
We will look at the three main reserves: Leviathan Field (operated by US supermajor Chevron), Tamar Field (also operated by Chevron) and Karish Field (fully-owned and operated by Greek company Energean).
![]()
Map by Disrupt Power
Palestinians have no access to these reserves, nor other smaller gas reserves in the Levantine Basin. This means Palestinians energy needs, including running hospital equipment and household heating/cooling, are totally dependent on and controlled by ‘Israel’. Alternative Palestinian-owned infrastructure, such as the Gaza power plan or solar panels, have been systematically destroyed by the Israeli military to ensure the continuation of this complete dependency on ‘Israel’ for the sustenance of Palestinian life. Energy - and the denial of access to natural resources - is therefore weaponised to eliminate the possibility of independence and self-determination.
Why is this important? Such dependency is manipulated by the Zionist entity as a mechanism of collective punishment. If you are dependent on your Occupier for energy, then the Occupier has the power to cut you off at will. We witnessed this being utilised during this genocide in October 2023, the Israeli government cut off electricity, food, fuel and water to Gaza. As such Palestinian hospitals were left with no electricity for prenatal incubators, life support machines or essential operating equipment during a genocidal assault. It is vital we think critically about how and why ‘Israel’ has the power to do this: the systematic denial of access to natural resources and infrastructural independence.
In conclusion, this demonstrates that the control and access to energy resources like gas has very material and violent consequences. It is used as a tool of imperial expansion and settler colonial control, in historic Palestine and beyond.
Critical Infrastructures: ‘Israel’s’ Prison Bars
This imperial violence is further exemplified through two gas infrastructures in Palestinian waters: the Tamar Platform and Arish-Ashkelon pipeline. The securitisation of these infrastructures is used as justification to incarcerate Gazans and militarise Palestinian seas.
The pipeline skirts the Gazan shore. It is ‘Israel’s’ only export route to sell gas to Egypt, Jordan and most recently the European Union (through a deal struck in June 2022). This means the pipeline is of critical importance to the Zionist entity and its new-found prestige as a regional and global ‘gas supplier’. Likewise, the Tamar platform lies 15 miles off the Gazan coast and is visible on a clear day. The platform develops the extracted Tamar gas for use, and is primarily used for domestic consumption. Therefore, it's critical to powering the Zionist occupation.
Why is this important? The securitisation of these infrastructures has been weaponized to enforce a complete naval blockade on Gaza for seventeen years. This means ‘Israel’ has systematically reduced the Palestinian maritime area from 20 nautical miles (inscribed in international law) to 3 nautical miles. This means ‘Israel’ can take full ownership of the seas natural resources and prevent Palestinians access.
The blockade is materialised through the illegal patrol of Israeli naval vessels that patrol up to 1 mile off the Gazan coast to ‘protect’ the infrastructures despite the Tamar platform, for example, lying 15 miles away. Any Palestinian that dares to cross this invisible barrier is shot with live bullets and/or detained. This particularly affects Palestinian fishermen who are regularly detained and have their equipment confiscated, decimating their industry and livelihoods. Such practices have also taken the lives of Palestinian children, shot whilst playing on the beach.
In conclusion, gas and the protection of its infrastructures is used as a critical weapon to incarcerate Palestinians and murder anyone who dares to challenge it. Gas cannot be viewed as ‘neutral’ but is an excuse to militarise Palestinian seas and geographies, reduce maritime borders to create enclaves and kill anyone that resists.
New Gas Exploration Licences: Financing War
In October 2023, ‘Israel’s’ Energy Ministry announced the winners of successful bids for gas exploration licences off the coast of Palestine. 12 licences were granted:
The gas licences granted to the consortium: Eni, Dana Petroleum and Ratio Energies, are within Palestinian maritime areas under international law, meaning ‘Israel’ does not have the legal authority to operate in these waters.
Why is this important? This means ‘Israel’ has sold Palestinian seas to foreign companies - seas recognised as Palestinian under international law - to explore for gas ‘Israel’ can use to continue its settler colonial occupation. These licences cost billions of dollars. Billions that will be going directly to the Zionist war economy during its genocidal assault on Gaza.
In conclusion, gas exploration licences are used as a mechanism to extend the systematic theft of Palestinian resources and are also a means to finance a settler occupation and its war machine.
LNG Exports to Europe: A Political Commitment
‘Israel’s’ export of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) to Europe is another facet of gas production that actively contributes to the incarceration and murder of the Palestinian people.
In June 2022, a deal was signed that secured Levantine gas to be exported to the EU via Egypt. In the deal the EU made two key promises:
Both promises have materialised. The latter promise was realised through the New licences purchase from supermajors Eni and BP. The former promise has likewise been realised through the (at least) 10 LNG vessels that - most likely carrying Israeli gas - have docked across European ports during the genocide. Research by Movement Research Unit and Disrupt Power tracked shipments arriving in Greek, Italian, Belgian, British and French ports.
Why is this important? The answer is threefold. One: The EU is buying stolen Palestinian gas. It is paying for the theft of Palestinian resources and normalising the murderous practices ‘Israel’ uses to extract and transport this gas. Two: the revenues created through this EU purchase is huge and actively contributing to war economy - financing the ongoing genocide. Three: ‘Israel’ gains significant international prestige from the image as a ‘gas supplier to the European market’. This attracts big corporate players - as seen with the new licences - and positions ‘Israel’ as a global strategic energy partner during an energy crisis.
In conclusion, we cannot abstract these LNG exports from ‘Israel’s’ ability to act with impunity during this genocide. It showcases a political and financial commitment from Europe to not only sustain the settler occupation of Palestine but increase the public and economic image of its Occupier. Europe is committed to further integrating ‘Israel’ into the European trade market, and in doing so sanctions the genocidal murder of Palestinians now and during 76 years of occupation.
Energy, in all its forms - coal, crude oil and natural gas - play an active role in either fuelling or financing the genocidal bombardment in Gaza. The Israeli war machine cannot function without a steady supply of imported fuel - that currently powers its military vehicles, aircraft and warships. It is crude oil that powers the tankers, refined jet fuel that runs fighter jets and natural gas that electrifies the arms factories and military training centres. As such, energy is indivisible from ‘the state of Israel’s’ ability to perform this genocide.
However, this workshop will specifically talk about fossil gas - how the natural resource and its infrastructures are used by the Zionist entity to quite literally incarcerate (imprison) and militarise Palestinian life. It will show how existing reserves, critical infrastructures, new gas exploration licences and LNG exports to Europe, are each used to sustain and fuel the settler occupation and genocide in historic Palestine. In doing so, we prove how the fight against gas and energy is not merely ‘a climate problem’ but must be understood as a fight against key agents of global imperialism and settler colonial violence.
This workshop will use the tool: ‘Follow the money, Find the violence’, tracing the purchase, development and sale of gas to unpack how it incarcerates and militarises Palestinian life.
Existing Reserves: A Captive Market
In the last decade, several large gas reserves have been found off the coast of historic Palestine in the Levantine Basin. The majority of these reserves lie in Palestinian waters yet are solely controlled and utilised by its settler colonial Occupier: ‘Israel’ .
We will look at the three main reserves: Leviathan Field (operated by US supermajor Chevron), Tamar Field (also operated by Chevron) and Karish Field (fully-owned and operated by Greek company Energean).
Map by Disrupt Power
Palestinians have no access to these reserves, nor other smaller gas reserves in the Levantine Basin. This means Palestinians energy needs, including running hospital equipment and household heating/cooling, are totally dependent on and controlled by ‘Israel’. Alternative Palestinian-owned infrastructure, such as the Gaza power plan or solar panels, have been systematically destroyed by the Israeli military to ensure the continuation of this complete dependency on ‘Israel’ for the sustenance of Palestinian life. Energy - and the denial of access to natural resources - is therefore weaponised to eliminate the possibility of independence and self-determination.
Why is this important? Such dependency is manipulated by the Zionist entity as a mechanism of collective punishment. If you are dependent on your Occupier for energy, then the Occupier has the power to cut you off at will. We witnessed this being utilised during this genocide in October 2023, the Israeli government cut off electricity, food, fuel and water to Gaza. As such Palestinian hospitals were left with no electricity for prenatal incubators, life support machines or essential operating equipment during a genocidal assault. It is vital we think critically about how and why ‘Israel’ has the power to do this: the systematic denial of access to natural resources and infrastructural independence.
In conclusion, this demonstrates that the control and access to energy resources like gas has very material and violent consequences. It is used as a tool of imperial expansion and settler colonial control, in historic Palestine and beyond.
Critical Infrastructures: ‘Israel’s’ Prison Bars
This imperial violence is further exemplified through two gas infrastructures in Palestinian waters: the Tamar Platform and Arish-Ashkelon pipeline. The securitisation of these infrastructures is used as justification to incarcerate Gazans and militarise Palestinian seas.
The pipeline skirts the Gazan shore. It is ‘Israel’s’ only export route to sell gas to Egypt, Jordan and most recently the European Union (through a deal struck in June 2022). This means the pipeline is of critical importance to the Zionist entity and its new-found prestige as a regional and global ‘gas supplier’. Likewise, the Tamar platform lies 15 miles off the Gazan coast and is visible on a clear day. The platform develops the extracted Tamar gas for use, and is primarily used for domestic consumption. Therefore, it's critical to powering the Zionist occupation.
Why is this important? The securitisation of these infrastructures has been weaponized to enforce a complete naval blockade on Gaza for seventeen years. This means ‘Israel’ has systematically reduced the Palestinian maritime area from 20 nautical miles (inscribed in international law) to 3 nautical miles. This means ‘Israel’ can take full ownership of the seas natural resources and prevent Palestinians access.
The blockade is materialised through the illegal patrol of Israeli naval vessels that patrol up to 1 mile off the Gazan coast to ‘protect’ the infrastructures despite the Tamar platform, for example, lying 15 miles away. Any Palestinian that dares to cross this invisible barrier is shot with live bullets and/or detained. This particularly affects Palestinian fishermen who are regularly detained and have their equipment confiscated, decimating their industry and livelihoods. Such practices have also taken the lives of Palestinian children, shot whilst playing on the beach.
In conclusion, gas and the protection of its infrastructures is used as a critical weapon to incarcerate Palestinians and murder anyone who dares to challenge it. Gas cannot be viewed as ‘neutral’ but is an excuse to militarise Palestinian seas and geographies, reduce maritime borders to create enclaves and kill anyone that resists.
New Gas Exploration Licences: Financing War
In October 2023, ‘Israel’s’ Energy Ministry announced the winners of successful bids for gas exploration licences off the coast of Palestine. 12 licences were granted:
- One set of six were granted to a consortium (a grouping of companies) led by Eni. The other companies are Dana Petroleum and Ratio Energies.
- The second set of six were granted to a consortium led by British Petroleum (BP). The other companies are SOCAR and NewMed Energy
The gas licences granted to the consortium: Eni, Dana Petroleum and Ratio Energies, are within Palestinian maritime areas under international law, meaning ‘Israel’ does not have the legal authority to operate in these waters.
Why is this important? This means ‘Israel’ has sold Palestinian seas to foreign companies - seas recognised as Palestinian under international law - to explore for gas ‘Israel’ can use to continue its settler colonial occupation. These licences cost billions of dollars. Billions that will be going directly to the Zionist war economy during its genocidal assault on Gaza.
In conclusion, gas exploration licences are used as a mechanism to extend the systematic theft of Palestinian resources and are also a means to finance a settler occupation and its war machine.
LNG Exports to Europe: A Political Commitment
‘Israel’s’ export of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) to Europe is another facet of gas production that actively contributes to the incarceration and murder of the Palestinian people.
In June 2022, a deal was signed that secured Levantine gas to be exported to the EU via Egypt. In the deal the EU made two key promises:
- To buy “significant” exports of gas from ‘Israel’.
- To encourage European energy companies to invest in gas fields controlled by ‘Israel’.
Both promises have materialised. The latter promise was realised through the New licences purchase from supermajors Eni and BP. The former promise has likewise been realised through the (at least) 10 LNG vessels that - most likely carrying Israeli gas - have docked across European ports during the genocide. Research by Movement Research Unit and Disrupt Power tracked shipments arriving in Greek, Italian, Belgian, British and French ports.
Why is this important? The answer is threefold. One: The EU is buying stolen Palestinian gas. It is paying for the theft of Palestinian resources and normalising the murderous practices ‘Israel’ uses to extract and transport this gas. Two: the revenues created through this EU purchase is huge and actively contributing to war economy - financing the ongoing genocide. Three: ‘Israel’ gains significant international prestige from the image as a ‘gas supplier to the European market’. This attracts big corporate players - as seen with the new licences - and positions ‘Israel’ as a global strategic energy partner during an energy crisis.
In conclusion, we cannot abstract these LNG exports from ‘Israel’s’ ability to act with impunity during this genocide. It showcases a political and financial commitment from Europe to not only sustain the settler occupation of Palestine but increase the public and economic image of its Occupier. Europe is committed to further integrating ‘Israel’ into the European trade market, and in doing so sanctions the genocidal murder of Palestinians now and during 76 years of occupation.