US energy secretary scraps visit after Israel puts $35B Egypt gas deal on hold
Despite US pressure, Energy Minister Eli Cohen refuses to approve a $35 billion gas deal with Egypt until "a fair price for the Israeli market" is secured.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Thursday that his US counterpart, Chris Wright, had scrapped a planned trip to Israel next week after Cohen refused to sign a $35 billion gas export deal with Egypt.
Cohen's office said in a statement that while Washington "has been pressuring Israel — in particular Minister Cohen and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — to approve the gas export deal with Egypt,” he would not sign off on it “until Israeli interests are secured and a fair price for the Israeli market is agreed upon."
The statement went on that efforts were also underway to resolve diplomatic issues between Israel and Egypt, including over the Gaza Strip. Egypt has been a key mediator in talks between Israel and Hamas.
Wright last met with Cohen in Washington in April, when the Israeli minister invited him to visit Israel. He was scheduled to spend six days in the country for meetings on both Israeli-American energy cooperation and the region’s energy potential. Wright's office has yet to comment on the cancellation.
