Gas, technology and (geo)politics - a thread on Israel-US-China triangle. Lately, there's been a flood of news on the heavy #US pressure on #Israel to curtail ties with #China. Israel has always been treading carefully between the superpowers, but recent developments show..1/n
..US pressure is working. Israel has curtailed Chinese involvement in local infrastructure, but now US is demanding Israel to limit Chinese investment even further. Israeli Cabinet discussed tightening rules on foreign investment, where government intervention threshold 2/n
would be lowered to 20% stake from 50%, in some cases even 5%. Here's a detailed scoop (in Hebrew) by Avi Bar-Eli in @TheMarker 3/n themarker.com/dynamo/2022-10…
Previously, @themarker reported that US is offering more joint US-Israel hi-tech research and funds in return for what amounts to full control of the joint research output and over Israeli hi-tech exports. Again, the excellent Avi Bar-Eli (in Hebrew) 5/n: themarker.com/allnews/2022-0…
This follows on the US President #Biden July visit to Israel and signing of new Strategic High-Level Dialogue on Technology, which would include all the goodies #China wants (#AI, #Quantumcomputing, etc.). Now we have the answer what the US wants in return. 6/n
One issue the Dialogue aims to reverse is the sharp drop of joint Israel - US scientific research (to 19% from 27% over past decade), vs growth of joint Israel-#EU research (to 56% from 53%). In other words, US lost access to Israeli innovation, and wants to reverse it.. 7/n
.while at the same time ensuring fruits of research would not end up in China. On Sep. 28 Israel and US held 1st high-level strategic dialogue on technology cooperation at the White House. Very interesting faces at the meeting... (Credit: Israeli Embassy in Washington spox). 8/n 
What may explain the shift in Israeli position is actually local Israeli politics - the US has identified current Israeli Prime Minister Lapid as relatively inexperienced and applying pressure on him in other areas as well, not just #China. E.g.: 9/n
Israeli and #Lebanon have been negotiating their maritime border for a decade, with large offshore #gas reserves at stake. After US mediation led to tentative agreement, with 45% of maritime claims going to Israel and 55% to Lebanon, Israel has basically surrendered all..10/n
hard-won gains, giving in to #Hezbollah. Here's an explainer: middleeasteye.net/news/explained…
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Leading the former US negotiator David Schenker, the former top US state department official for the Middle East to say "this draft agreement would give Lebanon all of its demands. “I don’t see how Israel and the US could accept the deal as is." 12/n
ft.com/content/4aa56f…
ft.com/content/4aa56f…
The reason for the collapse of the Israeli position? As @haaretzcom chief editor @alufbenn explained, @yairlapid "assented to a demand by the White House", as a deal would release more gas to freezing #Europe, starved of #Russia gas following the Russian invasion of #Ukraine 13/n
Aluf Ben explains: haaretz.com/israel-news/20…
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It helps the #WhiteHouse's case that the center-left Lapid came in office expressly to improve ties with the Democrats, after the heavy tilt toward the Republicans under the #Netanyahu government.
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