Palestinians protest to demand right to natural gas off Gaza coast

By Nour Abu Eisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday staged a protest to demand their rights to the natural gas off the coast of Gaza and to establish a waterway to link Gaza with the world via the Mediterranean Sea.

At the invitation of Palestinian groups in Gaza, Palestinians held an event in the Gaza seaport area to spotlight their rights to gas in the sea and raised a banner saying, "Our gas is our right" in Arabic and English.

During the event, Palestinians laid a symbolic foundation stone for a waterway to allow Palestinians in Gaza to travel far from Israeli restrictions.

"We say to the enemy (Israel) we will not cede our rights to our natural resources, especially the gas off Gaza Sea and in the waterway that link Gaza with the world," said Suhail al-Hindi, a Hamas senior leader.

He also urged the international community to abide by their obligations and end the Israeli violations that threaten stability in the region and to stop Israeli denial of Palestinian rights in the gas and the waterway.

The first Gaza gas field (Marine 1) was discovered in the 1990s located within Gaza territorial waters. The field is 36 kilometers (23 miles) west of the Gaza Strip in Mediterranean waters and was developed in 2000 by British Gas.

The second gas field (Marine 2) is another gas field for Palestinians located on the sea border area between Gaza and Israel.

Yet Palestinians were able to utilize neither gas fields due to Israeli opposition.

Home to 2.3 million people, the Gaza Strip has been reeling under a years-long Israeli blockade since 2007, badly affecting livelihood in the territory.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar