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Debunking the Gaza Oil Myth
Terrorists in Gaza using humanitarian aid bags to prop up rockets. Photo: Screenshot
The claim that Israel’s military actions in Gaza are motivated by a desire to seize Palestinian oil and gas resources has gained traction since October 2023. Reports and op-eds have been published by Al Jazeera, TRT World, and the Middle East Eye, with headlines such as “Israel’s Genocidal War on Gaza Is Also About Oil and Gas.” Various environmental NGOs have followed their lead, claiming that “this genocide is about oil.” These claims were further echoed by prominent anti-Israeli social media influencers such as Richard Medhurst and Jake Shields, who claimed that “massive amounts of oil have been discovered off of Gaza. After the genocide is completed, it will be rightfully Israel’s oil.” Even the poetry editor of the New York Times Magazine claimed that Israel’s war in Gaza was about “the deadly profit of oil interests” in her November 2023 resignation letter from the paper.
None of these claims has any basis in fact. Gaza does not have any known oil reserves. There are also no known assessments regarding potential oil in Gaza that is waiting to be explored. What Gaza does have is a small, undeveloped offshore natural gas field named “Gaza Marine.” The field was discovered in 2000, but was deemed too small to be commercially viable at the time. The field is estimated to contain only 30 BCM of natural gas, which is a small fraction of the more than 1,000 BCM of natural gas contained in Israel’s own territorial waters (in the Tamar, Leviathan, and Karish/Tanin fields). The idea that Israel would go to war over such a marginal gas field is absurd.
The primary source behind this disinformation campaign about Gaza’s alleged oil reserves is a UN body. Specifically, most of the accusations against Israel can be traced to a 2019 report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) entitled “The Economic Costs of the Israeli Occupation for the Palestinian People: The Unrealized Oil and Natural Gas Potential.” The report, written by Atif Kubursi, Professor Emeritus of Economics at McMaster University in Canada, states that “the Occupied Palestinian Territory lies above sizeable reservoirs of oil and natural gas wealth,” to the tune of “tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars.” It also claims that there are $524 billion worth of energy reserves in the Levant Basin, a bounty that could be shared among the different parties in the region if not for Israel’s “occupation of the Palestinian people.”
Critics of Israel have latched onto the $524 billion figure from the UNCTAD report to argue that Israel’s war in Gaza is driven by a desire to seize its energy assets. However, the report did not attribute these resources to Gaza or the West Bank but to the entire Levant Basin, which includes Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Cyprus. The report estimates that Palestinians have lost approximately $2.57 billion in potential revenue from Gaza Marine due to their inability to develop the field. This revenue could, however, be recouped once the field is developed. Egypt was poised to develop the field and share the revenue with the Palestinian Authority, with the approval of the Israeli government, if not for the current war.
In addition, the report points to the Meged oil field – located primarily within Area C of the West Bank – as another possible source of revenue for Palestinians. However, the report deliberately inflates the significance of the field by relying on outdated figures. The report estimates that the field might contain 1.5 billion barrels of oil and have a potential market value of $71 billion, but these figures are based on unsourced PR claims (rather than available geological evidence) that were released prior to commercial production. These assessments have been proven incorrect following repeated attempts to develop the field. Between 2011 and 2016, the field produced only 1 million barrels and shut down due to technical difficulties and dwindling output. The fact that the field has already been proven economically nonviable was ignored in the report, which continued to cite the debunked assessments.
Even under optimal conditions, the Meged field would not produce enough oil to be a central motivator for Israeli military action in the West Bank. This becomes especially clear when considering that a large part of the field is in Israeli territory, so Israel would not have to occupy Area C to access it and produce from it.
The misleading interpretation of the 2019 UNCTAD report could have been dismissed as an innocent mistake, had UNCTAD itself not deliberately presented the findings in such a way. On its website and subsequent press releases, UNCTAD advertised its report with the headline “The unrealized potential of Palestinian oil and gas reserves.” It continued this misrepresentation with the subhead, “Oil and natural gas resources in the occupied Palestinian territory could generate hundreds of billions of dollars for development.” Again, the report does not attribute these numbers to the Palestinian Territories but to the entire Levant Basin, a fact that cannot be inferred from the headline. Moreover, the UNCTAD press release repeats the claim that “Geologists and resource economists have confirmed that the occupied Palestinian territory lies above sizeable reservoirs of oil and natural gas,” a bald assertion that is not substantiated in the report.
The UNCTAD report has also been criticized for inflating additional figures and relying on dubious conspiracy blogs as its sources of data, raising serious doubts about the credibility and intentions of its author. The political newsletter “Twilight of Greed” took a deep dive into the report and discovered false and deliberately misleading arguments. For example, the report frequently cites the works of Michel Chossudovsky, who is known for spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories about how the Jews were behind the 9/11 attacks and who was accused by the US State Department in 2020 of being a proxy for a Russian disinformation campaign. Despite this, the report cites Chossudovsky 11 times, making him the single most-cited author in the entire report. It even prints his false assertion that the Gaza Marine field is secretly connected to Israeli underwater infrastructure and is slowly being depleted.
It is appalling that an official UN body would approve of such a report and then continue to publicize it with false claims about its content. One of the most troublesome aspects of the narrative is how quickly it has spread on social media, bolstered by a broader anti-Israeli and anti-imperialist sentiment. Despite efforts by experts to debunk these myths, they have become entrenched in the discourse surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These claims have been difficult to counter due to the viral nature of social media misinformation. By the time experts began addressing the flaws in the narrative, the theory had gained millions of adherents online.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza is driven by far more complex political, historical, and security concerns than the control of natural gas or oil. Israel’s current and previous wars in Gaza have focused primarily on security threats posed by Hamas and other militant groups, as well as broader territorial and political disputes. The Gaza Marine and Meged fields, while valuable in an economic sense, are not significant enough to drive military action. The spread of the Gaza oil myth reflects the dangers of relying on dubious sources and conspiracy theories to explain complex geopolitical conflicts. These dangers are only worsened when an official UN body knowingly pushes these theories to center stage, permitting reckless ideologues to launder their viewpoints and providing them with unwarranted credibility.
Dr. Elai Rettig is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Studies and a senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He specializes in energy geopolitics and national security.
Lee Wilcox is a California-based writer and editor for the American political and historical newsletter “Twilight of Greed.” He currently studies US History at the University of California, Davis.
A version of this article was originally published by The BESA Center.
The post Debunking the Gaza Oil Myth first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Netherlands, Ireland Will Not Participate in Eurovision if Israel Joins, Broadcasters Announce
A logo of the Eurovision Song Contest is seen in front of the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
The national broadcasters for both Netherlands and Ireland announced this week they will not compete in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel also participates due to the country’s military actions in the Gaza Strip during the current Israel-Hamas war.
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS made the announcement on Friday, a day after Irish broadcaster RTE said it will not join the Eurovision “if the participation of Israel goes ahead.”
“AVROTROS can no longer justify Israel’s participation in the current situation, given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza,” the Dutch company said in a statement. The broadcaster said its participation in the 2026 Eurovision “will not be possible as long as Israel is admitted by the EBU [European Broadcasting Union].” AVROTROS explained that if the EBU bans Israel from the international competition, the Dutch broadcaster “will gladly take part” in the Eurovision next year.
The organization, which is part of the Dutch public broadcasting umbrella NPO, manages Dutch participation in the Eurovision and holds broadcasting rights for the competition. The Netherlands has participated in the contest since its first year, back in 1956, and has won five times.
RTE Director General Kevin Bakhurst said the Irish broadcaster’s participation in the Eurovision alongside Israel would be “unconscionable” because of the “ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza.” Ireland’s Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said he supports and “absolutely respect[s]” RTÉ’s decision. Ireland has participated in the song contest since 1965 and has won the competition seven times.
The national broadcasters of Spain, Slovenia, and Iceland have also threatened to boycott the 2026 Eurovision if Israel participates. Broadcasters have until mid-December to pull out of the 2026 Eurovision in Vienna, Austria, without any penalty. The EBU is expected to make a decision about Israel’s participation before the end of the year at its General Assembly.
“We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. We are still consulting with all EBU members to gather views on how we manage participation and geopolitical tensions around the Eurovision Song Contest,” Eurovision director Martin Green said in a statement. “It is up to each member to decide if they want to take part in the contest and we would respect any decision broadcasters make.”
The 2026 Eurovision will take place in Vienna in May. Austrian singer JJ won this year’s competition in Basel, Switzerland, with his song “Wasted Love,” and he has also called for Israel to be banned from the 2026 competition.
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US Orthodox Jewish Couple Assaulted in Venice Amid Surge of Antisemitic Attacks Across Italy
Demonstrators participate in a pro-Palestinian protest in Piazza Duomo in Milan, Italy, on Nov. 23, 2024. Photo: Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect
An American Orthodox Jewish couple was physically assaulted in Venice by a group of anti-Israel agitators, drawing condemnation from the city’s mayor amid a surge of antisemitic incidents targeting Italy’s Jewish community.
Last weekend, a Jewish couple was walking through Venice in traditional Orthodox clothing when three assailants confronted them, shouted insults including “Free Palestine,” and physically attacked them, slapping both.
According to local Italian reports, authorities apprehended the three assailants, who are believed to be of North African origin. Two of them were issued expulsion orders and the third was deported.
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro strongly condemned the incident as a “serious and unacceptable act,” assuring the local Jewish community of the city’s commitment to their safety.
“Venice is and must continue to be an open, welcoming, and safe city, where mutual respect forms the foundation of civil coexistence,” Brugnaro said in a post on X.
“The aggression suffered by two American citizens of Jewish faith is a serious and unacceptable act, which I condemn with the utmost firmness,” he continued.
The local Jewish community also denounced the attack, pointing to the escalating climate of intolerance and the targeted incidents they have experienced since the start of the war in Gaza.
“Reiterating its condemnation of this vile and ignoble act, the Jewish community emphasizes that episodes like these certainly raise questions about Venice’s role as a welcoming city, while a climate of intolerance is emerging that today affects the entire Venetian community,” the statement read.
This incident follows another attack on a Jewish couple in Venice last month, when a man and his pregnant wife were harassed near the city center by three unknown individuals.
The attackers approached the couple, shouting antisemitic insults and calling the husband a “dirty Jew,” while physically assaulting them by throwing water and spitting on them.
One of the assailants later set his dog on the couple in an attempt to intimidate them before the group stole their phones.
These incidents come amid a surge in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment across Europe and around the world since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In Italy, Jewish individuals have been facing a surge in hostility and targeted attacks, including vandalism of murals and businesses, as well as physical assaults. Community leaders have warned that such incidents are becoming more frequent amid growing tensions related to the war in Gaza.
Earlier this summer, a Jewish man from France and his child were verbally assaulted at a gas station near Milan by a group of pro-Palestinian activists who shouted antisemitic slurs after seeing the child wearing a kippah, yelling phrases such as “Free Palestine” and “murderers” as they passed by.
In a separate incident, a masked individual targeted a synagogue in Rome, spray-painting a swastika and antisemitic slogans — “Sieg Heil” (“Hail Victory”) and “Juden Raus” (“Jews Out”) — on a sign near the entrance.
In May, a restaurant in Naples forced an Israeli family to leave, telling them, “Zionists are not welcome here.”
Earlier this year, a homeless Egyptian man in Rome attacked a Jewish boy and injured a shopkeeper who tried to intervene. In a separate incident, anti-Israel protesters defaced a synagogue with graffiti reading “Justice for a Free Gaza.”
Last year, a hotel manager in Rome canceled an Israeli couple’s reservation just one day before their trip, accusing them of genocide and telling them the hotel would “be happy to grant free cancellation.”
“We inform you that the Israeli people as those responsible for genocide are not welcome customers in our structure,” the hotel manager told the Israeli couple.
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Jewish Communities Across US, Israel Express Grief, Horror Over Assassination of Charlie Kirk
Roses and candles are placed next to a picture of Charlie Kirk during a vigil in front of the US Embassy after US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead during an event at Utah Valley University, Orem, US, in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
The Jewish communities of the US and Israel mourned conservative political activist Charlie Kirk in the aftermath of his assassination on Wednesday, describing him as a champion of free speech and supporter of the Jewish state who was killed out of pure hatred.
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during a speaking event at Utah Valley University, where he was engaging in dialogue with students. He is survived by his wife and two young children. A young Utah man — Tyler Robinson, 22 — was taken into custody on Thursday night as the suspected shooter, about 33 hours after the assassination, according to state and federal law enforcement.
Kirk was an outspoken supporter of Israel and advocate against antisemitism. He regularly debated students on the subject of Israel and brought his ideas to young people at a time when, according to recent polling, that age group was turning decidedly against the Jewish state.
“There’s a dark Jew hate out there, and I see it,” Kirk told a student during a podcast episode which aired earlier this year. “Don’t get yourself involved in that. I’m telling you it will rot your brain. It’s bad for your soul. It’s bad. It’s evil. I think it’s demonic.”
In response to Kirk’s murder, Jewish groups and leaders across the US and Israel expressed their grief and horror.
“Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom. A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X.
“I spoke to him only two weeks ago and invited him to Israel. Sadly, that visit will not take place. We lost an incredible human being. His boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact,” Netanyahu continued.
“I am shocked by the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk. Israel has lost a true friend and huge ally,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog added in his own statement. :I strongly condemn this terrible act of violence, and together with all the Israeli people, send my thoughts and prayers to Charlie’s wife, children, and all his loved ones.”
Similarly, the X account of the State of Israel emphasized that Kirk “was a steadfast friend of Israel and a true ally of the Jewish people. He stood proudly for the Judeo-Christian values that bind Israel and America. Charlie’s fearless commitment to truth and freedom cost him his life. Violence may have taken him, but it cannot silence his legacy. May his memory be a blessing.”
Charlie Kirk was a steadfast friend of Israel and a true ally of the Jewish people.
He stood proudly for the Judeo-Christian values that bind Israel and America.Charlie’s fearless commitment to truth and freedom cost him his life.
Violence may have taken him, but it cannot… pic.twitter.com/n76RDO9Dem— Israel ישראל (@Israel) September 11, 2025
In addition to Israeli leaders expressing their shock and grief, so too did the religious movements of American Jewry.
The Orthodox Union posted on X a straightforward question: “What has become of us?”
“Today, September 10, is a day for our nation to strengthen its internal bonds as we prepare to commemorate the devastation brought upon America by enemies who continue to threaten us,”the group wrote. “Instead of coming together, we have witnessed another horrific act of political violence, another effort to tear our country apart. This must stop. We pray for the family of Charlie Kirk and for the future of the United States of America.”
The Religious Action Center, the political arm of the Reform movement, posted on BlueSky, “We are horrified by the violent attack on Charlie Kirk today in Utah. Yet again, the scourge of gun violence has caused terrible harm. We are praying for Mr. Kirk’s well-being and full recovery. Political violence has no place in our culture.”
And the Union for Reform Judaism added that “we remember that the nation’s future depends on overcoming our differences in ways that respect the humanity of those with whom we disagree.”
Jewish communal organizations made statements as well.
“This disturbing act of political violence has no place in our society and must be condemned across the political spectrum,” the American Jewish Committee posted on X. “We are heartbroken and outraged by the murder of Charlie Kirk and this horrific act of senseless violence. Our hearts are with Charlie’s beloved young family. May his memory be a blessing.”
Jonathan Greenblat, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote on X that “the murder of Charlie Kirk is terrifying, and we condemn the violence. Our deepest condolences to his family.”
Kirk was the founder of the conservative political organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA), which aimed to engage the youth vote and turn Gen Z into conservative voters and activists.