Commentator: Putin Wants Gazprom to Take Part in Israel's Leviathan

Ehud Yaari, a veteran Israeli journalist and commentator for Arab issues for Channel 2 News, the most watched and influential TV news broadcast in Israel, has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in Gazprom entering into Israeli natural gas sector.

Yaari was quoted by the The Australian, after speaking in an event in Sydney.  Mr. Yaari said that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposed a previous deal with Gazprom, is now reconsidering his position.

However while the previous deal from 2012 was about Gazprom buying LNG from Tamar gas field, the current option of interest for Russia is for Gazprom to be involved in the development of Leviathan gas field.

According to The Australian, Mr. Putin told Mr. Netanyahu that in return for a deal “we will make sure there will be no provocation against the [Israeli] gas fields by Hezbollah or Hamas. Nobody messes with us.”

Ya'acov Zalel