Israeli Government reacts to petitions to block natural gas regulation, saying they have no legal basis

The Israel rebuked on Wednesday the four petitions brought to the High Court of Justice that seeks to block the framework to regulate the natural gas industry of the country. The petitions, which will start hearings next week, were filed by Movement for Quality Government in Israel, The Academic Center for Law and Business, and the Zionist Union and Meretz parties.

According to the Haaretz, the attorney for the state responded to these petition in an attack, saying, "Reading four petitions shows that every one of them is lacking a factual, economic and legal reforms, rather their common practical purpose a one and simple - to prevent the government from advancing its policies in the Israeli natural gas sector sectors."

The Jerusalm Post reported that the Zionist Union faction filed a High Court petition on Monday to stop the gas framework of Israel. The petition questions the comprehensive deal for settling disagreements between the government and the gas developers. That plan in question officially started on December 17 when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the controversial legal clause that would allow the framework to continue. Opposition leader Isaac Herzog also promised on that same day to file a High Court petition on behalf of the Zionist Union. Meanwhile, the Meretz party and environmental organizations submitted their own petitions.

The Zionist Union's petition is aimed against the deal that would let a two-company consortium start extracting gas from the abundant Leviathan gas field just off the Israel coast. The passage of the deal didn't come without heightened political drama. Times of Israel wrote that antitrust commissioner David Gilo and former economy minister Aryeh Deri resigned because of this controversy. Due to this framework, the country has seen the largest street protest since the 2011 social justice demonstrations.

The four petition basically wants to block the gas framework that the government has agree upon with energy companies Texas-based Noble Energy and Delek Group last year. One of the major part of the framework that is in question is PM Netanyahu's decision to scrap antitrust law to let the two giant energy companies operate as a cartel.

Tags

petition, framework natural gas, leviathan gas field, gas industry, government, Benjamin Netanyahu, Zionist Union, Israel

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