The discovery of the Leviathan field – one of the world’s largest offshore natural gas finds, off the coast of Haifa – has Israel anticipating earning billions from its export. But the deal has yet to be finalized, and opposition is growing. In February 2015, protests took place on four continents over concerns that the deal could secure eagerly sought energy independence for Israel, while creating a dangerous situation of dependence on its energy regionally.
A letter of intent to import $15 billion of natural gas from Israel was signed by the Jordanian National Electric Power Company in September 2014. It means Jordan will be paying $8.4 billion directly to the Israeli treasury in taxes and royalties, much of which will be spent on military and defence.
