The Prime Minister today refuted accusations made by Parliamentarians that the Government had been ordered to import Israeli natural gas supplies through a US company, explaining that this had been the Government's choice and that they had considered several alternatives to halted Egyptian gas supplies. In considering Algeria as a potential gas supplier, it was found that there was no available Algerian gas for sale as all of their output is already committed to other buyers.
The market price of Qatari gas is double that of Israeli gas. It is said that Egyptian gas fields have been depleted to such an extent that the Egyptians themselves are now seeking to import Israeli gas.
He further said that the Government was preparing to sign a contract to buy Palestinian gas with a British company that is exploring natural gas off the coast of Gaza.