ARUTZ SHEVA
by Ari Soffer
June 20, 2014
Israel will receive its first delivery of oil from a disputed pipeline in Kurdistan, in a sign of growing relations between the Jewish state and the autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq.
On Friday the SCF Altai tanker approached the city of Ashkelon in southern Israel, and is scheduled to dock sometime Saturday.
The oil delivery is from the KRG’s new independent pipeline which bypasses the central Iraqi government by running directly to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, much to the chagrin of Baghdad’s embattled government. The delivery to Israel comes at a crucial time for the KRG, which is looking to protect itself from the deteriorating situation in Iraq by being more independent economically.
…..The United States opposes the KRG’s oil pipeline, but Israeli officials told Reuters Jerusalem is keen to build relations with the Kurds, both in order to counter the growing influence of Iran and to generally broaden its options for energy supplies.
ArchitectGuy on Israel 