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A pipeline delivering gas from Egypt to Israel burns following an attack near the town of al-Arish in the northern Sinai, September 27, 2011. |
An Egyptian pipeline
supplying gas to the Israhelli regime and Jordan has once again been hit
by a major explosion, which is the fourteenth attack on the energy link
since January 2011. The attack on the gas pipeline, which crosses the Sinai Peninsula,
occurred on Monday in the northern Sinai at the entrance of the
Mediterranean coastal town of Al-Arish, Reuters reported. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack, yet. The gas pipeline’s operations had been suspended following the last
bomb attack on February 5. It was brought back into service just last
week. According to an opinion poll conducted by Synovate for Press TV and
published last October, an overwhelming majority of Egyptians oppose the
terms of the country's gas deal with the Israhelli regime.
In the poll, 73 percent of the respondents said they opposed the gas
exports to Israhell. Only nine percent said they approved of Egypt
supplying gas to the regime and 12 percent expressed no opinion. The issue of supplying gas to the Tel Aviv regime has always been a
contentious topic for Egyptians, who view Israhell as their number-one
enemy and oppose engaging in any form of business with it. Egypt was forced to agree to the supply of gas to Israhell as a major
pre-condition for an annual American economic aid package, which was
part of the 1979 US-sponsored "peace treaty" between the two sides. According to a $2.5-billion export deal with Tel Aviv signed in
2005, the Israhelli regime receives around 40 percent of its gas supplies
from Egypt at a below-market rate.