Following Pipeline Blast, Israeli Officials Urge Energy Independence

By Haaretz Service April 27, 2011

Israel needs to prepare itself for a future without Egyptian natural gas supplies, an senior Israeli official said on Wednesday, following an earlier explosion at the Sinai pipeline carrying gas from Egypt into Israel.

An explosion rocked a natural gas terminal near Egypt’s border with Israel earlier Wednesday sending flames shooting into the air and forcing the shutdown of the country’s export pipeline, said security officials. The pipeline supplies gas to Israel and Jordan.

“An unknown armed gang attacked the gas pipeline,” a security source told Reuters, adding that the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan had been hit.

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