TEL AVIV — Israel has been examining the prospect of selecting
Russia to participate in a major offshore natural gas project.
Industry sources said Israel’s Delek Group has been negotiating with
Russia’s Gazprom to buy a stake in the Leviathan gas field in the
Mediterranean Sea. They said Delek wants to recruit Gazprom but has been opposed by a leading partner, the U.S. firm Nobel Energy.
“Although the Israelis, led by Delek Group’s Yitzhak Tshuva, are
enthusiastic about Gazprom because of its geopolitical power, Nobel Energy prefers a Western partner, even at terms that are not as good as the terms offered by the Russian giant,” the Israeli business daily Globes said.
The sources said the United States has been monitoring the negotiations between Delek and Gazprom. They said Leviathan has sought a strategic partner to expand the offshore project, estimated at up to $15 billion.