E-ISSN 1947-4458

Published biweekly by The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Funded in part by the American Israel Education Foundation, the charitable organization affiliated with AIPAC.

EDITORS:

Dr. Raphael DanzigerEditor-in-Chief Emeritus

Adam HarrisExecutive Editor

Cory MeyerManaging Editor

Tzvi Kahn Lauren WaldsteinBen ShlesingerAssociate Editors

ANALYSTS:

Steven BeckermanSenior Research Analyst

Samantha LevyResearch Analyst

I.L. KenenFounder, 1905–1988

The Tamar field, located 90 kilometers west of the city of Haifa, is one of Israel’s recent natural gas deposit discoveries expected to provide the country enough natural gas for over 100 years and inaugurate an era of Israeli energy independence.

In This EditionNew Fields of Gold: Israel’s Quest for Energy IndependencePAGE 1

Security Vacuums: The Rise of Extremism in Egypt and SyriaPAGE 4

In Focus: Martin IndykPAGE 6

Heard On The HillPAGE 7

Editorial: Hold Abbas AccountablePAGE 11

A I P A C ’ S B I W E E K LY O N A M E R I C A N M I D D L E E A S T P O L I C Y

A U G U S T 1 4 , 2 0 1 3 • W W W . A I P A C . O R G / N E R

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New Fields of Gold: Israel’s Quest for Energy Independence

Israel long existed as an energy-less island—a country wholly dependent on energy

imports to power its grid, move its vehicles and underwrite its economy. The Jewish state

is completely isolated from its energy-rich neighbors who continuously use energy as a

weapon and a foreign policy tool to promote anti-Israeli campaigns throughout the world.

Today, however, Israel is swiftly shaking off its foreign dependencies and charting a course

toward energy independence. This mission runs parallel to American efforts to ratchet

up domestic production of oil and gas. Both countries’ shared interest in strengthening

energy security and enhancing energy independence can manifest itself in a new strategic

energy partnership—including joint research-and-development initiatives to unlock

new resources, industrial and commercial cooperation, academic partnerships, strategic

dialogue and more.

In December 2010, exploratory drilling off Israel’s northern coast uncovered a major

natural gas field named ‘Leviathan,’ containing at least 18 trillion cubic feet of natural gas,

enough to power Israel for over 100 years. This find came on the heels of discovering the

‘Tamar’ field, which is already providing the Jewish state with much-needed energy relief.

Formerly dependent on foreign energy imports, new natural gas finds have Israel charting a new course.

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In addition to holding tremendous market value, these finds also offer the potential

for Israel to become a net energy exporter to a region starved for gas, where alternate

sources are Iran, Iraq, Qatar and Russia.

Moreover, Israel’s breakthrough came just months after the Israeli Government publicly

pledged to significantly roll back its oil dependence by the end of the decade, taking aim

squarely at OPEC’s strategic lever over the West—gasoline. Together with the discovery of

natural gas, and the potential development of oil shale, Israel is embarking on a new era

of energy security.

“If it acts correctly, levelheadedly and responsibly, Israel can enjoy not only the benefit of

using the gas, but it can also turn into a gas supplier in the Mediterranean region,” said

then-infrastructure minister Uzi Landau following the discovery.

Prior to discovering its own bountiful gas reserves, Egypt as of 2008 acted as Israel’s

primary natural gas supplier. However, following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the

gas pipeline transiting Egypt to Israel—and Jordan—was attacked 14 times by Bedouin in

the Sinai Peninsula. The attacks cut off vital energy sources and cost Israel over a billion

dollars. Today, as Egypt experiences continued unrest following this summer’s military

takeover, terrorists continue to attack the pipeline feeding natural gas to Jordan, resulting

in rolling blackouts and causing negative political exposure for the Hashemite Kingdom.

These events highlighted the extreme vulnerability Israel endured due to its dependence

on foreign energy, demonstrating the timeliness of its own energy discoveries. Today,

Israeli ambitions of energy independence are rapidly progressing.

The Australian firm Woodside has joined U.S.-based Noble Energy in the hopes of

developing the ‘Leviathan’ field for export. Potential markets include Israel’s immediate

neighbors—the Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Egypt—in addition to Turkey and

markets in Asia and Europe.

Energy can thus be a geopolitical connector as well as an economic asset, and Israel is

attempting to maximize its opportunity. This could be a potential boon to the United

States as well, which holds a vested interest in seeing regional allies supplied by Western

nations’ gas rather than by Iran or Russia.

The United States and Israel are natural energy allies and have collaborated since 2008 in

project-driven joint ventures.

Continued: New Fields of Gold: Israel’s Quest for Energy Independence

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Against the backdrop of rising U.S. energy production and independence, Israel’s gas

findings present a new platform on which to develop a strategic energy partnership.

In addition to efforts to reduce the West’s dependence on gasoline—and thus its reliance

on OPEC’s crude oil—the two governments, as well as private business in both countries,

have shared goals of promoting additional energy solutions. By leveraging current

resources and safely pursuing more, the U.S. and Israel can work together to ensure

mutual long-term energy security.

Security Vacuums: The Rise of Extremism in Egypt and Syria

With increasing instability in Egypt and Syria, radical Islamists are seizing the opportunity to

establish control over critical areas in the Middle East. As the Muslim Brotherhood protests

the military’s takeover in Egypt and extremists seek to control war-torn Syria, Islamists are

increasingly seizing territory and destabilizing both countries.

Both countries, which previously experienced authoritarian governance, are now loci of

increasing instability. Militant terrorist groups throughout the region are seizing these

opportunities to replace weakened leadership with radicalism, incubating anti-Israel and

anti-American extremism in an already volatile neighborhood.

Continued: New Fields of Gold: Israel’s Quest for Energy Independence

Islamic militants are mobilizing in Syria and the SInai Peninsula, where broken governments have left significant territory unpoliced and out of control.

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In Syria:

The uprising against the oppressive rule of President Bashar al-Assad has pitted the Syrian

president against several different opposition groups. Jihadists, who employ violence to

gain control over territory and then impose harsh Islamic law over the local population, are

the most formidable fighters among the rebels.

Unlike other elements of the opposition, these extremists seek more than a mere change

in leadership. Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda-affiliated Sunni Muslim group, is a most

worrisome example. The jihadist rebel faction has taken to extreme violence in order to

spread its influence over the vulnerable region.

Syria’s porous borders with Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey have created an open door for

thousands of al-Qaeda and other jihadist extremists to flow freely throughout the region.

Many extremists from nearby countries are eager to build strongholds within the lawless

and war-torn areas of Syria.

Meanwhile, many Syrian civilians opposed to violence have fled the country, burdening

neighboring nations with a growing refugee crisis. Syria itself is now saturated with militant

extremists and internally displaced people.

In Egypt:

Islamic extremism is fomenting violence in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, as the military seeks

to regain control of the politically destabilized country. Muslim Brotherhood Islamists—

angered by the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi—have become increasingly hostile

and frustrated over their failure to establish an Islamist government.

As violent clashes continue to spread throughout Egypt, the Sinai has become a breeding

ground for jihadist mobilization, posing a serious threat to Israel’s southern border.

Thousands of Islamists have streamed through the Peninsula, Dozens of security officers

have been killed, and numerous checkpoints have been attacked by extremists seeking

control. Moreover, while most jihadists in the Sinai are Bedouin or Palestinians from Gaza,

some foreign fighters from Saudi Arabia and Libya have arrived with advanced weaponry,

greatly expanding terrorists’ weapons caches.

As recently as Aug. 12, a jihadist group fired a rocket from the Sinai to Eilat; fortunately it

was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-rocket system.

Continued: Security Vacuums: The Rise of Extremism in Egypt and Syria

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In and around Cairo, the Egyptian military has responded to protestors and insurgents by

forcibly quelling uprisings and maintaining a strong presence near Brotherhood sit-ins. All

the while, efforts to seal the border between Gaza and Sinai have failed to stop transfers

of jihadists and weapons. Both the military and Muslim Brotherhood protesters are

adamant in their quests to lead the country, resulting in persistent violence with no

end in sight.

As radical extremism ferments in Egypt and Syria, Israel finds itself at a critical moment

of regional instability. Insufficiently policed borders in both countries pose increasingly

dangerous threats to the Jewish state and American interests in the region.

In Focus: Martin Indyk

Israeli and Palestinian officials convened in Washington on Monday, July 29 to resume

peace negotiations for the first time in nearly three years. Prior to the initial gathering, U.S.

Secretary of State John Kerry announced Martin Indyk as U.S. Special Envoy to shepherd

the talks.

“[Ambassador Indyk] knows what has worked and he knows what hasn’t worked,” Kerry

said with respect to his appointee’s past as a moderator between the two sides. The

Secretary added that “he also understands that there is now a path forward and we must

follow that path with urgency.”

Kerry’s appointee is a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, serving two terms from April

1995 to September 1997 and from January 2000 to July 2001. During his second round of

service, he played a key role in the 2000 Camp David Summit, in which President Clinton

attempted to facilitate a peace agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and

PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat.

Indyk has served in various other senior government positions. He was Special Assistant

to the President and Senior Director of Near East and South Asian Affairs at the National

Security Council in 1993-1995, and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

in 1997-2000.

Ambassador Indyk has written extensively about the Middle East, and has taught at

several universities, including Columbia University and Tel Aviv University. He was the

Continued: Security Vacuums: The Rise of Extremism in Egypt and Syria

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founding executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and previously

served as AIPAC’s deputy research director.

Prior to his naming as special Mideast envoy, Indyk was vice president and foreign policy

director at the Brookings Institution.

“It is a daunting and humbling challenge, but one that I cannot desist from,” Indyk

said of his latest charge. “It’s been my conviction for 40 years that peace is possible…I

look forward to working with [Secretary Kerry], President Abbas, and Prime Minister

Netanyahu and their teams to do our best to achieve President Obama’s vision of two

states living side-by-side in peace and security.”

Heard on the Hill

House Intel Committee Chair Strongly Supports Iran Sanctions

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he strongly

supports sanctions against Iran and believes newly installed President Hassan Rouhani will

continue the country’s illicit nuclear program.

Continued: In Focus: Martin Indyk

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry appointed Amb. Martin Indyk to shepherd Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

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“Sanctions are incredibly important to continue to send a message that the pursuit of the

nuclear program will only cause them pain,” Roger said in an interview with Al-Monitor.

“One always hopes for a diplomatic solution.

They have shown no interest despite all the other sanctions in actually moving forward

with real negotiations about their nuclear program.”

Rogers was a co-sponsor of the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013 (H.R. 850), which

establishes the toughest-ever sanctions on Iran as a means of getting the regime to stop

working toward a nuclear weapons capability. The legislation passed the House by a

resounding vote of 400-20 on July 31.

Rogers cautions that people should not be swept up by the idea that Rouhani is a

moderate or that Iran’s policies will change now that he is in office.

“I think there is a lot more marketing going on than there is reality in his position on Iran’s

negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program,” he said.

Lawmakers Highlight Benefits of Iron Dome Rocket Defense System

Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Ted Deutch (D-FL) penned an August 6 op-ed in The

Jerusalem Post extolling the virtues of the Iron Dome rocket defense system, which the

United States has partially funded.

Continued: Heard on the Hill

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During Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, Iron Dome intercepted 85 percent of the 300

Hamas rockets that would have otherwise struck Israeli towns and caused massive civilian

casualties; as it was designed to do, Iron Dome ignored the 700 rockets that landed in

open fields.

“Cheap, unsophisticated rockets from Hamas are becoming a thing of the past as Iran and

its proxies continue to develop more advanced medium- and long-range missiles,” the

lawmakers wrote.

Roskam and Deutch have introduced the United States-Israel Missile Defense Cooperation

Act of 2013 (H.R. 2717), which authorizes further funding and cooperation for the vital

defense systems.

“This legislation underscores the mutually beneficial joint venture of developing these

cooperative programs with Israel and helps ensure their continued inclusion in future

authorization bills,” the congressmen wrote.

Roskam is chief deputy majority whip and co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus.

Deutch is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.

Lawmakers Propose Awarding Peres Congressional Gold Medal

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced bicameral legislation that would award

the Congressional Gold Medal to Israeli President Shimon Peres. The legislation was

spearheaded in the Senate by Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) and in

the House by Reps. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) and Trent Franks (R-AZ).

“President Peres’ extraordinary record of service has helped strengthen the unbreakable

bond between the U.S. and Israel, our closest and most stalwart ally in the Middle East,”

said Sen. Ayotte in a statement. “As we mark the 65th anniversary of Israel’s founding

and the 90th birthday of one of Israel’s great leaders, this legislation demonstrates that

the people of Israel and the United States stand shoulder to shoulder in the face of

extraordinarily uncertain times.”

Rep. Kennedy expressed similar sentiments. “For over 70 years President Shimon Peres

has dedicated himself to the enduring bond that unites Israel and the

United States,” he stated.

Continued: Heard on the Hill

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“There has been no greater champion for our shared values and defender of our

shared interests.”

If Peres receives the award, he would be one of only nine people to win both the

Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Peres, who recently turned 90, also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.

Senators Call for End to Deals with Russian Arms Company

Twelve senators sent a letter to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin

Dempsey on August 5 expressing deep concern over the ongoing Department of Defense

(DOD) purchasing of helicopters from Rosoboronexport.

The bipartisan letter, led by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and signed by six Democrats and

six other Republicans, explicitly requests the DOD cancel all current contracts with

Rosoboronexport.

Rosoboronexport is Russia’s official arms export firm and has been providing weapons to

Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria.

“We are concerned by DOD’s apparent failure to consider the strategic implications of

sourcing mission-critical military equipment from a potentially hostile power such as

Russia,” Cornyn wrote. “DOD’s preference for Russian helicopters will also make it highly

difficult to achieve robust interoperability between the U.S. and Afghan helicopter fleets,

which is in the long-term interests of both nations. These problems are self-inflicted, and

this policy is extremely shortsighted.”

Bipartisan House Letter Expresses Concern over Qatar’s Support of Hamas

Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and John Barrow (D-GA) sent a letter to the Qatari ambassador

to the United States calling into question his government’s ties to Hamas.

The bipartisan letter, signed by 22 other lawmakers, expresses grave concern over Qatar’s

bolstering of the terrorist organization.

“We are disturbed by reports that Qatar pledged over $400 million in funds to Hamas in

October 2012,” Roskam and Barrow wrote. “The funding was allegedly pledged during a

Continued: Heard on the Hill

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high-profile visit to the Gaza Strip by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the

first visit by a foreign leader to Gaza since Hamas took power in 2007.”

The letter also quotes then-Sen. John Kerry, who said in 2009, “Qatar can’t continue to be

an American ally on Monday that sends money to Hamas on Tuesday.”

Emir al-Thani has recently handed over power to his son, Sheikh Tamim, whose policy vis-

à-vis Hamas is still unknown.

Samantha Power Confirmed as U.N. Ambassador

Samantha Power has been confirmed as the new ambassador to the United Nations. The

Senate voted 87-10 on August 1 in her favor.

Before taking her new post, Power served as special assistant to President Barack Obama

and senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights with the National Security

Council (NSC).

“As one of our country’s leading foreign policy thinkers, Samantha knows that our

nation’s interests are advanced with strong and principled American leadership,” Obama

said. “As a long-time champion of human rights and dignity, she will be a fierce advocate

for universal rights, fundamental freedoms and U.S. national interests.”

During the confirmation hearing, Power affirmed her commitment to Israel.

“Just as I have done the last four years as President Obama’s U.N. adviser at the White

House, I will stand up for Israel and work tirelessly to defend it,” she said.

Editorial: Hold Abbas Accountable

Beginning on Tuesday, Israel initiated a release of 26 terrorists from its prisons to further

the peace process (read AIPAC’s statement in support of the talks). 17 of these 26

prisoners murdered Israelis, including one who struck a Holocaust survivor with repeated

blows to the neck with axes.

Continued: Heard on the Hill

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One released prisoner is a man who killed Ofra Moses and her son Tal when he threw a

Molotov cocktail at their car, reports The Times of Israel.

Another is Abed Rabbo, who confessed to police that he attacked a young couple hiking

near the Cremisan monastery south of Jerusalem. Rabbo tied Revital Serry and Nir Levi’s

hands together, blindfolded them with rags and shot them in the head

at point blank range.

Muhammad Tus was a member of a terror cell that carried out five bus attacks, killing

Zalman Avolnik, Michal Cohen, Meir Ben Yair, Edna Harari and Motti Swisa.

Jomaa Adam and Mahmoud Harbish attacked a bus with Molotov cocktails, killing Rachel

Weiss and her three young children, as well as soldier David Delarossa who tried

to rescue them.

Israel’s bold prisoner release raises many questions:

If Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is trying to construct a stable civic

society in a future Palestinian state, why would he want 104 convicted felons to be

released in the West Bank? Why would Abbas mandate that his ambassadors refer to the

Continued: Editorial: Hold Abbas Accountable

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas must be held accountable to create an environment for peace.

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prisoners not as murders or terrorists, but as “freedom fighters”—a title that seemingly

encourages young Palestinians to revere them as heroes or role models?

There is an overarching and indisputable lesson to be learned by the Israeli release of

terrorists back into Palestinian society—Israel is willing to go to great lengths to live in

peace with its neighbors.

The Jewish state has dismantled settlements in Gaza and Egypt for the sake of peace.

It has relinquished land in Jordan, Lebanon, Gaza and Egypt for peace. It has removed

roadblocks and security check points in the West Bank for peace. And it has extended an

open hand to all of its neighbors in exchange for simple recognition and normalization.

Releasing terrorists who killed innocent Israelis is yet another painful step that the Jewish

state has made. It is a sweeping statement of its willingness to reach sustainable peace

with the Palestinians. Now is the time for Abbas to take his own step forward. He and

his Palestinian leadership must be held accountable to create an environment for peace.

He should educate his citizens about living in peace with Israelis rather than glorifying

murderers and manage the expectations of the Palestinians on key issues such as the

refugee claim of return.

Israel has taken tough steps to prove it is ready for peace, today. It’s time the Palestinians

prove they are too.

Continued: Editorial: Hold Abbas Accountable