Israel / Palestine

The plot:

If the Israeli state succeeds in exploiting the largest oil shale deposit on the territory, Israel would be almost impossible to impact through sanctions or boycotts. Given the multiple month duration of plans for shale extraction drawn up so far, the large oil from shale projects proposed would likely become the single dirtiest locale for emissions from oil extraction on the planet, outside of coal-to-liquids being extracted in South Africa near Durban.

Openly calling for the use of Israeli oil shale to "eliminate dependency on Arab oil," Zionists see in this plan a means to further "re-shape" the region of the Middle East and could give Israel a larger oil reserve than Saudi Arabia. Resistance to oil shale development in the Shefla Basin has been by locals who openly work with state agencies known for racist policies towards Bedouins in other parts of the state; large oil shale deposits suitable for mining exist within primarily Bedouin areas of the Niqab desert. 

The details:

Multiple deposits

250 bn bbl (perhaps more) estimated recoverable across the entire territory inside of the so-called Green Line. Small amounts of potential oil also exist inside the West Bank. 

New form of In-Situ not applied commercially previously (In-Situ retorting) in the Shefla Basin; Previously mining for electricity and chemicals at a plant in Mishor Rotem.

IEI/Genie Energy has received environmental clearance for kerogen extraction in the Elah Valley (southwest of Jerusalem) and legal challenges to extraction have been overruled.

Power plants in the Niqab/Negev desert have been decommissioned.

Previously Ormat has developed shale from mining in the Niqab/Negev; current large proposal in Shefla Basin involves Genie Energy (with Rupert Murdoch, Dick Cheney, Michael Steinhardt, Howard Jonas, Lord Jacob Rothschild, Israel "Relik" Shafir and others). Project lead researcher and developer Harold Vinegar worked for decades with Royal Dutch Shell in the Green River Basin (United States).

Proposals are initially for 30- 40 000 bpd in the Shefla Basin.

Bedouin communities currently have lower health indicators than Jewish Israeli citizens in areas with heavy industrial developments near their communities. Recent moves to force Bedouin communities into urbanized settlements likely will streamline development of further heavy industry such as oil shale.

The Elah Valley has already seen ENGO campaigns based on Zionist principles and centred on legal challenges. No attempts have been made by residents of 'Adullam' to oppose development of oil shale deposits elsewhere in the country. Biblical historians state that the site of where David slew Goliath is directly adjoining the location of Genie's proposed oil shale extraction plant. Zionist organized camps led by Greenpeace have been held in opposition to development in this valley; no attempts have been made to ally with Bedouin communities also threatened by oil shale.

The allies of Zionist-NGO opposition to oil shale development in the Ellah Valley have included the Jewish National Fund (JNF); JNF “tree planting” exercises have involved the displacement and “resettlement” of Bedouin communities that are also threatened by oil shale extraction. "Save Adullam"-- Zionist-only organization of residents of the Elah Valley who oppose oil shale developments-- placed their hopes on a challenge in the court system, instead of alliance with other threatened front line Israeli located communities. 

The regional impacts of Israel controlling 250 bn bbl of commercially viable oil are hard to overstate. This would almost certainly redirect natural gas deposits from the Mediterranean Sea towards oil shale development, causing a net increase in energy consumption and vast increase in carbon footprint. The ability of anti-apartheid campaigners to successfully isolate and force human rights compliance from Israel would be damaged, perhaps irreversibly; Though extraction rates would be but a fraction of others, recognition of this deposit would vault Israel from dependent on foreign imported oil to third highest oil reserves on the planet (behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela). The stated goals of the arch-Zionists who established Genie Energy is to provide "energy security" for Israel.

It may also lay the groundwork for further integration, particularly involving Jordan, the Gulf Co-operation Council and oil shale collaboration, possibly involving commercial water exchanges around the Dead Sea and Jordanian shale plans.