Israel faces upstream reform challenge
A government committee has failed to tackle the root causes of a slump in upstream expansion, argues energy analyst Gina Cohen
In 2013, the Israeli government decided to determine how much of the country's 33 trillion cubic feet of gas would have to remain for local consumption versus the volumes allowed for export. In addition, the decision specified that all export facilities would have to be located in Israeli waters and all fields, regardless of whether the gas was for local consumption or exports, would have to be connected first to the local market. An inter-ministerial committee (the Zemach committee), which had submitted its analysis to the government in a 130-page document, was confident that its recommendations, which were endorsed by the cabinet, would stimulate gas exploration. The 2013 report stipulated
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
6 March 2026
After Europe’s rapid buildout of floating LNG import capacity, Exmar CEO Carl-Antoine Saverys says future growth in floating gas infrastructure will increasingly be driven by developing markets as lower prices, rising energy demand and the need to replace coal unlock new opportunities for unconventional and tailor-made solutions






