Egypt suspends gas supply to Israel

On last Sunday, Egypt’s government announced the suspension of the supply of natural gas to Israel, for 20 years the mainstay of the economic relationship between former enemies. Since the fall of the dictator Hosni Mubarak in February last year, the sale of fuel was being publicly attacked in Cairo. In just over a year, the pipelines that carry gas from the Sinai Peninsula to Israel were the target of more than 12 attacks. According to the Egyptian government, however, cutting off the supply is motivated by he contract matters, not politics. The Israeli side supposedly delayed its payments for four months. About 40% of gas used for electricity production in Israel comes from Egypt. In Israel, the Egyptian government first accused of threatening the peace accords at Camp David in 1979 to then moderate the discourse. Last night, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu, tried to prevent the case from turning into a diplomatic crisis. "We see this cut as a result of political events (in Egypt)," said the premier. Earlier, Finance Minister of Israel, Yuval Steinitz, had accused Egypt of threatening the agreements that ended three decades of war.Source:F.S.Paulo, Translation:EGE