Trump, Oil, and the Erasure of Palestine

Trump, Oil, and the Erasure of Palestine

oil newsonline   7:14 AM

Thousands of displaced Palestinians try to return to their destroyed homes in northern Gaza, only to face relentless warnings from the Israeli military to turn back. These scenes of despair, captured by global media, tell more than just a story of war. They represent a broader, more sinister campaign of ethnic cleansing fueled not only by Israel’s territorial ambitions but also by America's energy hunger—one that finds dangerous momentum under former President Donald Trump.

In his inaugural speech, Trump declared his intent to make the U.S. “a manufacturing nation once again” by exploiting America’s vast reserves of oil and gas. But his vision for energy dominance extends far beyond U.S. borders. He has sought oil in Alaska’s wilderness, eyed Canada as the 51st state, and even proposed buying Greenland from Denmark—all in the name of securing cheap, abundant energy for American industry.

Now, his gaze has turned toward Palestine. Under the guise of supporting Israel, Trump has endorsed one of the most brutal military campaigns in recent history. Israel has destroyed over two-thirds of Gaza’s infrastructure and killed approximately 10 percent of its population. Trump’s solution? Forcibly relocate 1.9 million Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt to “clean out” Gaza once and for all—completing what many see as an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing that began decades ago.

But Trump's motives aren't purely ideological. They are also economic. A 2019 UNCTAD report revealed that Palestinian territories—especially the Mediterranean coast off Gaza—hold approximately 122 trillion cubic feet of gas and 1.7 billion barrels of oil, valued at more than $522 billion. For Trump, this resource is too valuable to remain under Palestinian control.

This is why Trump has persistently pushed Arab nations to normalize relations with Israel, including orchestrating the Abraham Accords during his first term. These agreements, between Israel and countries like Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, served dual purposes: bolstering Israel’s regional legitimacy and paving the way for joint economic ventures to exploit Palestinian natural resources.

Recent investigative reports have added even more horror to this unfolding tragedy. According to Haaretz, Israeli soldiers have revealed that their commanders ordered them to fire live ammunition on unarmed Palestinians at U.S.-backed aid distribution points in Gaza. One soldier described the scene as “a killing field.” This direct targeting of civilians underscores the brutality of the campaign and the impunity that comes with U.S. political and military backing.

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly displays maps that erase Palestine entirely, his administration accelerates a settler-colonial vision rooted in religious nationalism. Gaza is being emptied, the West Bank militarized, and the very idea of a two-state solution obliterated. Trump supports this vision without reservation.

Yet, the Palestinian people have not surrendered. When a fragile ceasefire briefly took effect, images emerged of Palestinians returning to their shattered homes—not in defeat, but with resolve. They rebuild, they endure, and they continue to resist. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken even acknowledged that Hamas has likely recruited as many fighters as it has lost, a sign that the occupation has only hardened resistance.

Trump’s political return emboldens Netanyahu and other hardliners to pursue maximalist goals without fear of consequence. In doing so, the U.S. risks greater global isolation. As economist Richard Wolff pointed out, an increasing number of Americans and international observers now see Washington as complicit in genocide, funding and arming Israel even as atrocities mount.

The oil in Gaza is not merely a natural resource—it has become a cursed prize. It has drawn foreign powers into a bloody conflict and emboldened extremists who view human lives as obstacles to profit. Trump's dream of oil-fueled industrial resurgence now drips with Palestinian blood.

Meanwhile, Arab states and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) remain largely inert. Their failure to act meaningfully in the face of war crimes has frustrated many, especially as Israeli aggression spreads into the West Bank with intensified raids in Jenin and beyond. The silence of regional powers is as deafening as the drones overhead.

Trump's alignment with fossil fuel tycoons and far-right Zionists reveals a terrifying truth: for the current geopolitical order, Palestinian lives are expendable if they stand between capital and crude oil. His calls to make America “great again” are being translated on the ground into mass death and displacement.

But the Palestinian people are not going anywhere. They remain on their land, clinging to it not only with hope but with the understanding that justice delayed is not always justice denied. From the ruins of Rafah to the alleys of Jenin, they are not just surviving—they are resisting.

This moment in history is not just about occupation. It is about resource extraction disguised as diplomacy, colonialism cloaked in democracy, and genocide normalized through silence. The world must decide: will it continue to turn a blind eye, or will it finally confront the machinery of empire that fuels these atrocities?

Palestine is not a relic of history. It is a living struggle. And though it may be surrounded by bulldozers, bombs, and billionaires, its people still stand. The oil beneath their feet is not the future America needs—it is the line that defines who we are as a global community.

Because the moment we allow oil to justify extermination, we forfeit not only Palestine—but our shared humanity.

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Turkey-Libya Maritime Border Deal and Gas Exploration

Turkey-Libya Maritime Border Deal and Gas Exploration

gas newsonline   10:12 PM

illustration

Turkey and the internationally-recognized, U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Nov. 27, shaking the Eastern Mediterranean region. (more)

Then on Dec. 5, the Turkish Parliament ratified the MoU with Libya, showing that it is a government policy, not just one of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's own views. All the parties in Turkey welcomed the agreement as it is a state matter which has been on the table for decades even before President Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) won the elections for the first time in 2002. However, Erdoğan is the one who has achieved it.

The maritime deal in question, signed by Erdoğan and GNA head Fayez Al Sarraj in Istanbul, aims to secure Libya and Turkey's rights in the Mediterranean and prevent any fait accompli attempts by regional states, some which have already made maneuvers to do so with their drilling activities and energy deals. With this agreement, Turkey and Libya, which are maritime neighbors, have established 18.6 nautical miles of a continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundary line between the two countries.

Greece, the EU, Egypt, Israel and the Greek Cypriot Administration were the first to condemn the MoU. Of course, Libya's warlord Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who is responsible for the ongoing chaos in Libya by invading east Libya and controlling the port city of Benghazi, has also gone mad after the deal. Many people might not be aware that Haftar, a puppet of the proxy war in Libya, has ties with Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and is working for the benefit of those countries.

The Haftar hostility

Meanwhile, Haftar's hostility toward Turkey is growing. This summer, he ordered an attack on Turkish ships in Libyan territorial waters, closed air space for Turkish planes and detained Turkish citizens in the territory which he controlled. Since all of his attempts to take Tripoli, backed by Turkey, have failed, he is losing his mind. That is why he arrested six Turkish citizens but had to release them quickly as he did not dare see what Turkey would do to bring its citizens back. Turkey has taken all measures against future possible hostile moves or threats and is ready to confront attacks unless Haftar sits still.

Egypt was one of the countries that condemned the Turkey-Libya maritime deal; but it lowered its voice recently because the deal is, in fact, beneficial to Egypt as well. The boundary line between Turkey and Libya increases Egypt's EEZ too.

Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration are the countries most furious over the deal. However, they are two of the leading parties who isolated the interests of other regional countries for years. As Greece is not strong enough to confront Turkey, Greece expelled the Libyan ambassador to show its anger. But this is just a move that shows Athens cannot contain itself on the deal. We know that Athens will go to the EU and Western countries crying and saying that Turkey has expansionist projects in the East Mediterranean, they are deceived by Libya, and Erdoğan has to be stopped. We can expect more threats and typical warmongering newspaper headlines in Greek media as well.

Regional tension

That said, Turkey keeps saying that the diplomatic channels for maritime boundary delimitation with all coastal states including every country that has rights concerning the East Mediterranean are open, contrary to the selfish policies of Israel, Greece, the Greek Cypriot Administration and Egypt. The deal with Libya is not to raise tensions in the region but a move to protect Turkey and Libya's interests and a start to bring all other coastal states to the table for talks on their rights. But that doesn't mean Turkey will stop at this point. As President Erdoğan said, both countries can carry out joint exploration operations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Since 2003, the Greek Cypriot Administration has been seeking an adventurous policy in the region by concluding maritime delimitation agreements, conducting oil and gas exploration, and issuing unilateral permits for such activities around the island. Its provocative policies ignore the Turkish Cypriots' existing and inherent equal rights over the natural resources and the sea around the island. By allying with Egypt and Israel, the Greeks and Greek Cypriots have disrespected other coastal states. The Eastern Mediterranean drilling activities of Turkey, the country that has the longest continental coastline, to defend its own rights and the rights of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' (TRNC) people has been condemned by those countries and their backers too. The maliciousness toward Turkey that aims to limit the Turkish EEZ to the Gulf of Antalya cannot be tolerated, of course. Turkey's position is very clear: The dispute has to be solved with comprehensive negotiations which will benefit all coastal states as well as Turkish and Greek Cypriots.

Gas discovery

On the other hand, a huge natural gas field was discovered off the shores of Haifa port of Israel nine years ago. Namely, the Leviathan field's recoverable volume is estimated to be more than 600 billion cubic meters of gas by Noble Energy, the U.S. company that discovered the field in 2010. Israel's gas reserves are not large compared to global volumes, however, the numbers associated with Leviathan were depicted as a game-changer for Israel. But today, only one very small gas field, Tamar, supplies the Israeli energy sector. The Tamar field contains only around 80 billion cubic meters of gas, and yet it provides around 60% of Israel's electricity and looks like it will do so for years. So, if Leviathan starts to work, it might make Israel a net gas exporter. Meanwhile, other fields have been said to be found in the same basin such as the Aphrodite field near Cyprus.

Energy experts believe that there is more gas waiting to be discovered in the Eastern Mediterranean along the coasts of Gaza, Lebanon and Egypt's Sinai in the south, and Greek Cyprus, the TRNC and Syria in the north. However, apart from Tamar, the gas in question is in waiting and further exploration has been frozen as there isn't an export route for an enormous amount of gas, of which the volume far exceeds the domestic needs of the countries involved.

Even if Israel succeeds in exporting natural gas from Leviathan, it has to work with other regional countries to deliver it to Europe. Today it looks like it has no option other than Greek Cyprus and Egypt. According to last year's reports, Israel, Greek Cyprus, Greece and Italy have reached an agreement to lay a pipeline connecting Israel's gas reserves to the three countries, in a major project, namely East Med, that will supply gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe. Europe, too, has an interest in seeing the development of the East Med proceed, which would enable it to diversify its energy suppliers and reduce its dependence on Russian gas.

The LNG facility

However, the construction cost of East Med, according to initial estimates, is $7 billion. Nicosia is also pushing to link the pipeline through the Aphrodite field to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Egypt, which will also cost around $1 billion. And we have to note that such a major project is expected to be financed by the EU.

Even though it is supported by the Greek and Italian governments, which are both known to be very critical of Brussels, the cost is quite high. Constructing an LNG processing plant and shipping the resources not only to Europe but also to the growing markets of Asia in order to compensate the capital cost is an option. But even if it is done, it would be quite uncompetitive in a world where there is no shortage of gas supply.

It has already been very annoying that the Turkish EEZ is the obvious and most cost-effective transit point for this gas as it is geographically very close to the fields in question and already has a domestic pipeline network that could carry the gas to Europe. Through an offshore pipeline to Turkey and by collecting resources from all the fields along the way, the East Med can be carried out. However, this option has already been ruled out because of the current disputes. Israel's savage policies aiming to wipe off the Palestinians and the ongoing dispute between Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are the other political obstacles against such a solution.

With the agreement between Turkey and Libya, the East Med Project's pipeline has to go through Turkey's EEZ. It has strengthened Turkey's hand in the region, and it will provide a direct role in the energy geopolitics game, on a legal basis. For that reason, all the plans that have isolated other regional countries have been turned upside down for now. For Greece, the Greek Cypriot Administration and Israel, the party is over, and they are not dancing anymore.

Gaza Teen Generates Electricity from Candles

Gaza Teen Generates Electricity from Candles

energy newsonline   4:15 PM

A teenage girl in Gaza has found a resourceful way of overcoming chronic power shortages, by constructing a device that can generate electricity from the heat of candles, New China TV reports.

Faced with regular blackouts, Shahd Abu Lebda, 16, told New China TV that she “depends on the principle that ‘a person in need will find a way’ – which pushed me towards inventing a device that generates electric charges for smart mobile phones from the energy of heat that comes from candles.”

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Haiyang 2 Nuclear Plant: The largest high-tech cooperation project between China and the USA

Haiyang 2 Nuclear Plant: The largest high-tech cooperation project between China and the USA

nuclear newsonline   6:19 PM

Four AP1000 reactors are officially under construction in China after the pouring of first concrete for Haiyang 2.

A ceremony was held at the construction site on 21 June, attended by a plethora of company, state and union officials, as concrete was poured for the basement raft of the power generation unit.

The forthcoming reactor joins another AP1000 project at Haiyang as well as another two at Sanmen. Further contracts with Westinghouse for the design are expected with Chinese utilities and in future domestic firms will mass-produce the design under the lead of State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation.

This knowledge and technology transfer is essential to China's ambitions to become fully self-sufficient in nuclear power. It was described by officials as the largest high-tech cooperation project between China and the USA and a way they are tackling global warming while promoting economic development and changing to a clean-energy infrastructure.

The other AP1000 construction site has seen visible progress with the lifting in of the containment vessel bottom head of Sanmen 2. The first unit at the plant has also been built up with reactor building structures inside and a further ring of its containment vessel.

Israel undermining Jordan efforts on nukes

Israel undermining Jordan efforts on nukes

energy newsonline   10:24 PM

Israel has been pressuring other countries not to sell nuclear technology to Jordan, King Abdullah told The Wall Street Journal.

In the interview published Tuesday, Abdullah charged that Israel has been pressuring countries such as South Korea and France, calling the actions "underhanded." He said the actions have contributed to bringing relations between Jordan and Israel to their lowest point since the 1994 peace agreement.

"There are countries, Israel in particular, that are more worried about us being economically independent than the issue of nuclear energy, and have been voicing their concerns," King Abdullah told the newspaper. "There are many such reactors in the world and a lot more coming, so [the Israelis must] go mind their own business."

Israel denied that it is trying to undermine Jordan's efforts toward obtaining nuclear technology, the newspaper reported.

The United States is demanding that Jordan not produce its own nuclear fuel, according to the Journal, despite the fact that it has that right as a signatory to the United Nations' Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

Jordan reportedly is eager to establish a nuclear program since it is 95 percent dependent on imported oil, according to the newspaper. In 2007, Jordan discovered at least 65,000 tons of uranium ore near Amman.

The Tehran Research Reactor built by the United States

The Tehran Research Reactor built by the United States

energy newsonline   2:10 PM

The Tehran Research Reactor is an ageing nuclear facility located in the heart of the Iranian capital.

Built by the United States as a nuclear research facility 40 years ago, it is now at the centre of Iran's claims that it needs nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes only.

The reactor makes radioactive materials for use in hospitals - for example in the treatment of cancer.

Al Jazeera's Alireza Ronaghi was given exclusive access inside the facility.

Tadhamon buys Saudi accommodation firm

Tadhamon buys Saudi accommodation firm

investment newsonline   4:07 AM

Bahrain-based Islamic investment company Tadhamon Capital has acquired Consolidated Services Company (CSC), a Saudi firm which owns and operates labour accommodation.

CSC currently owns and operates accommodation for management and staff in Jubail Industrial City and other industrial areas in the kingdom. The transaction is valued at more than $22 million, and generates very attractive cash returns to the investors, said a statement.

“Despite the turbulent conditions experienced by the real estate market, our team continues to identify superior investments based on their solid understanding of the market and extensive experience in the field of real estate and private equity,” said Waleed Abdulla Rashdan, CEO of Tadhamon Capital.

The Jubail site lies on a 51,000 sqm plot of land, currently capable of housing 800 residents. However, current expansion on the site will increase occupancy to 1,500 by the middle of 2010. Services provided include daily housekeeping, laundry services, and meal plans. Other facilities include swimming pools, a golf range, gymnasium, sports room, multipurpose courts, internet café, as well as social gathering areas.

Jubail has been designated as an Industrial City by the Saudi Arabian Government and over the last ten years has witnessed rapid expansion and industrialisation.

The industrial city is a complex of local and international petrochemical plants, and houses a number of companies including the Middle East's largest and the world's 4th largest petrochemical company Sabic, and the recently announced Saudi Arabia Total Refining and Petrochemical (Satorp) company.

New industrial projects in Jubail are increasing the demand for housing units in the area. It is forecasted that Jubail Industrial City’s population will reach around 250,000 by 2020 from the current level of 160,000.

Tadhamon Capital is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Tadhamon International Islamic Bank (TIIB) which, in turn, is majority owned by a leading regional conglomerate, Hayel Saeed Anam & Co Group, with Qatar Islamic Bank also as a prominent shareholder.