In what is certain to be an enormously controversial decision, the Israeli government has issued a permit to the Genie Energy company to begin drilling for oil in the occupied Golan Heights, despite it still be internationally recognized as part of Syria.
Genie Energy International’s President is retired Israeli General Effi Eitam, a former Likud Housing Minister and MP who has repeatedly called for Israel to “cleanse” the occupied territories of all Arabs, and predicting in a New Yorker interview that eventually “we will have to kill them all.”
Before his successful political career Eitam was investigated for war crimes in the Gaza Strip, after men under his command testified he ordered them to “break the bones” of Palestinian civilians. He was reprimanded after one of the beaten men died.
Genie is well politically connected beyond Eitam, with a special Strategic Advisory Board that includes former Vice President Dick Cheney, News Corporation Head Rupert Murdoch, and several other high profile figures.
Israel “annexed” the Golan Heights in 1981, 14 years after the occupation began, but that is not recognized by any other nation. Israel had refused to grant any oil permits for 20 years, as negotiations were ongoing which were liable to return Golan to Syria as part of a peace deal.
Genie’s experts say they believe a large amount of oil is available under the heights, and that it is in “relatively tight formations.” Energy Minister Uzi Landau allowed the first bids for Golan permits last year, and this gives Genie an “exclusive” license for nearly 400 square kilometers of Syrian territory.
The decision to allow drilling seems certain to start an international incident since it will have major ramifications on any future peace settlement between Israel and Syria.
This is shocking, and clearly a de facto annexation of the Golan Heights. It would astound me if Obama and Kerry were to allow this one to go forward though up to now the Administration has been nothing if not a facilitator for their terrorist ally, and the Administration has effectively neutralized any official Syrian opposition to this in the UN or other international forum, by having demonized and denied the legitimacy of the Assad government, and right now many in the State Department have been closely aligned with Israel's interests. The Israelis are gangsters, as is Cheney, and will take whatever they can get their hands on, but it would be a supreme irony if the Administration were to allow Cheney who was responsible for such devastation, would be further rewarded. They must be stopped, and one way to do it may be for people to demand that their governments say no and take their business elsewhere.
This project, if it is permitted to go through, will not only be raping and plundering a sovereign territory- it would most likely also create untold environmental problems for what has for centuries been an agricultural area, and one with precious water resources.
The whole saga behind the Syrian "uprising" – thanks to Dennis Ross and funding by the US (Barada TV, etc.) was to accommodate Israel. The US government is every bit complicit – and don't look to Obama for change – he is far, far worse than Bush – simply more clever at being evil.
USA is a stolen land.., is made possible by the slaves.., managed by the vulture capitalism.., so don't think that the very same people won't create another stat of stolen land, slaving people and creating another stat if vulture capitalism.
was just watching the omen on tv…..
wonder if that is a true story about cheney's life
When will there be a war crimes tribunal?
When will there be a war crimes tribunal?
Unbelivable!!! One cannot, but marvel on "double standart", on ongoing Israels stand….Israel does not recognize any internacional laws, any basic norms….nothing!!! World really deals with "entity" making only problems for rest of Humanity.
Should not be World free from Zionism, without place called Israel better off? And these criminals have arsenal of undeclared WMD!!!
1946 UN decision was clearly most embarising mistake and biggest tragedy in making …..peter czech
seems like israel is betting there will not be a syrian state much longer.
I suspect this is a case of poking Syria so it attacks or just shot some of the rebels returning home from shooting syrias. Yes I believe many of the ayria rebel are members of the idf. Isreals will cry foul and attack Syria and as usual grab a large piece of syria. The world will cry but nations will send businessmen to profit from the land grab.
Well, here we have yet another reason why the US and Israel want Syria destabilized – so they cannot get back the Golan and the oil.
And with the FSA now attacking Hizballah in Lebanon, we see – just as I have repeatedly stated here – that the target of this US/Israel conspiracy is to degrade both Syria and Hizballah so they cannot be effective actors in an Iran war.
Anyone who can't see that this is going full steam ahead to a military intervention in Syria as a cover for an Israel attack on Lebanon is just blind as a bat.
Israel just wants peace…. and Gaza's offshore gas, and Syria's oil, and Lebanon's water.
We need a Nuremberg Trial for all war criminals, past and present.,
The payoff for Murdoch's Years of Kowtowing to Israel, getting to drill for oil in Breach of the Geneva Convention, congratulations Mr. Murdoch, You are now officially a War Criminal!Want to bet this isnt reported in his Newspapers or on Fox News!_
Steal their land. Steal their water. Why not steal their oil?
Steal their land. Steal their water. Why not steal their oil?