As Israeli tanks invaded Gaza in December 2008, they didn’t lead the way. Some 500 yards ahead, Israeli drones cleared the area with missiles. Even after the initial assault, Operation Cast Lead saw an enormous use of drones. On January 4, a missile hit the roof of the Habbash family home in Gaza City. Six Palestinian children had been playing on the roof seconds earlier. Two children lost their legs and 10-year-old Shaza and 12-year-old Israa were killed.
Throughout Operation Cast Lead, while Palestinians sat in darkness, subsidised gas from Egypt powered the Israeli war machine.
Pumped through a pipeline from al-Arish to Ashkelon, this transfer of cheap energy symbolised the tight economic, political and military partnership between the Egyptian and Israeli leadership. EMG, the company behind the gas transfer, was fronted by former agents from Mossad and Egyptian intelligence, Yossi Maiman and Hussein Salem. During the 2000s, they exploited their close relationships with the Israeli and Egyptian regimes to negotiate immensely profitable deals.
It paid off. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed that Egypt would sell gas to EMG at very cheap rates – far below what the gas was worth. Initial prices were set at $0.75- $1.5. And even after public opposition, the price only increased to $3. Salem and Maiman sold the gas on to the Israelis for $4.5 – pocketing the difference…
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