Off-shore gas from Gaza?

After years of talk about the possibility of there being off-shore oil or gas access near Gaza, Israel has given up its pretence of imprisoning the Gazans because they are criminals. Why are they criminals? Because they shoot rockets. Why do they shoot rockets? Because they are imprisoned, starved to the edge of death but no further, because their use is as guinea pigs for Israel's arms industry.

Yisrael Katz, Israeli transport minister, has announced that an artificial island is to be built off the shore of Gaza. This would enable the Israelis to extract gas, as it now believed to be, in safety, while continuing to use the mainland for its experimental bombing raids. In a typical piece of Newspeak, a spokesman (according to the Observer) for the ministry of transport said the main aim was to improve the quality of life for Palestinians in Gaza while ensuring Israel's security. Netanyahu is said to approve of the proposal. You bet he does.

The Israeli scam is that the island will be to replace the airport they destroyed by bombing and will be to take the place of a sea-worthy dock. Although they have not considered building a port instead, which would obviously be a lot more cost-effective and practical.

They also claim that the island would encourage tourism in the area.

Mr Katz does admit that there is something in this for the Regime: it would relieve Israel of the obligation to be the transit point for goods into Gaza. Another way to relieve Israel of this obligation would be to open Gaza, to pull down all the walls, but we can't have that. Where would that leave the arms industry? And if one set of walls comes down, who knows where it might lead?