Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon told Israel's High Court of Justice that any further delay will bury the gas agreement. Appearing before a five justice panel hearing petitions from opponents to the gas agreement, Netanyahu thanked the justices for letting him address them on this "fateful matter." Netanyahu stressed that in his 10 years as prime minister this was the first time that he, or any other prime minister for that matter, had ever appeared before the High Court of Justice.
He said, "I asked to appear before you because of the huge importance that I attribute to the development of the natural gas fields and because we are at a critical point in terms of the risks and opportunities. We are in the final minute in terms of fulfilling the State of Israel's gas potential. Any additional delay, any move backwards, can lead to dreadful results and it is doubtful we will be able to surmount them."
Netanyahu added, "Any delay may lead to the gas agreement being buried. I don't intend going into the precise details of the outline agreement. For that reason we have here Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz and senior officials. My appearance is to demonstrate the huge importance I see in the swift and smooth implementation of the outline agreement. This importance is not only economic for the State of Israel but also its national security, its energy security, its diplomatic relations, and its status in the Middle East.
He added, "The outline agreement we approved has no real alternative, and I tremble at the thought of the repercussions of a further delay. Any delay could lead to dreadful and major long-term damage to the State of Israel. I also asked to appear before you to calm the concerns that have arisen because of Clause 52 (to bypass the Antitrust Authority)."
Netanyahu outline his track record as Prime Minister for 10 years and Minister of Finance for two and a half years in increasing competition and reforms to reduce concentration in the Israeli economy.
He said, "If there will be no gas agreement, then there will be no other alternative. There is no doubt that if there is no agreement, then there will be no competition, there will be no investment, there will be no development of the existing fields or new ones. But with this agreement there is a real chance of achieving all these targets."
Netanyahu also stressed that Israel remained vulnerable to attack from its enemies while it only maintained the one gas rig (Tamar).
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 14, 2016
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