A Case of Bad Gas - Revisited

Back in May 2007, I posted about a billion dollar gas deal that Israel was contemplating entering into with the "Palestinian" Authority.

At the time, I raised the following concerns:

1)Would anyone care to guess what the Hamas led PA will buy with $1 billion? In short, this would not be the first time that the State of Israel would be funding our enemies efforts to destroy the Jewish State (See: The Oslo Accords / "Peace Process".)

The fact that there isn't a law forbidding such actions speaks volumes.

2) Equally troubling is why the State of Israel, which possesses very few natural resources, would give away a gas field off it's coast worth billions of dollars?

It seems that I was not the only one to express such concerns. I recently came across a position paper put out nearly 6 months after my post by the Jewish Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) written by former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe (Boogie) Ya'alon, entitled: Does the Prospective Purchase of British Gas from Gaza's Coastal Waters Threaten Israel's National Security?

For those who don't have the time for the full article, Ya'alon's answer is yes, it does.

Some highlights (lowlights?):

* Proceeds of a Palestinian gas sale to Israel would likely not trickle down to help an impoverished Palestinian public. Rather, based on Israel's past experience, the proceeds will likely serve to fund further terror attacks against Israel.

* It is possible that the prospect of an Israeli gas purchase may have played a role in influencing the Olmert cabinet to avoid ordering a major IDF ground operation in Gaza, despite at least 1,000 rocket and mortar attacks against southern Israel since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007.

* However, with Gaza currently a radical Islamic stronghold, and the West Bank in danger of becoming the next one, Israel's funneling a billion dollars into local or international bank accounts on behalf of the Palestinian Authority would be tantamount to Israel's bankrolling terror against itself. Therefore, an urgent review is required of the far-reaching security implications of an Israeli decision to purchase Gaza gas.

I wonder how I can get myself one of these cushy fellowship positions at a think tank?