Khaberni - Diaa Rashwan, head of the State Information Service, said that the issue of the gas deal with Israel began at the end of August with Israeli statements after talks about renewing this agreement, which dates back to 2019.
He added during an interview with Al-Hadath channel on Saturday evening that Israel spoke in August about its intent to cancel the deal and that it does not want it, as part of a broader campaign of lies and threats in the midst of the genocide war in Gaza, noting that Israel recently announced that the deal was concluded, then started a wide Israeli tune that the deal represents a victory for Israel.
Rashwan pointed out that the Egyptian state announced, in a lengthy statement, that the deal does not allow Israel to control any matters concerning Egypt, whether economically or politically, and that this deal is renewed. It is like any deal that may be in Egypt's interest, and the Israeli side could not cancel it as it had hinted before.
Rashwan emphasized that this deal has no relation and can never affect the decisive and clear Egyptian positions, which have not changed at all since October 7, 2023. These are all positions that support the Palestinian people, international legitimacy, all Arabs who have been subjected to Israeli attacks, and the commitment to resolving the Palestinian issue rather than just ending the war in Gaza.
Rashwan confirmed that these Egyptian positions had a big price, and it is not possible to weigh what is related to the deal, including its monetary counterpart, on the same scale as these costs, emphasizing that Egypt faced many pressures but did not succumb.
He noted that this deal was concluded between Egyptian companies and the American company "Chevron," pointing out that when the U.S. Department of State welcomed the deal, it placed at the first point that it achieves significant gains for American companies.
Rashwan clarified that the value of the deal amounts to $35 billion over 15 years, about $2.3 billion annually, and that "Chevron", being the one exploring for gas, gives Israel its share of these funds.
He pointed out that the gross domestic product in Israel amounts to $520 billion, while what Israeli gas exports, including those to Egypt, represent does not exceed 0.5% of the total GDP, i.e., a value between $2.5 and $3 billion annually, questioning: "Is this amount going to support the Israeli economy?"
Rashwan explained that the promotion of the deal by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in this manner comes in an attempt to create an image of victory, something he has been trying to do since the beginning of the Gaza war, confirming that Netanyahu could not achieve a victory image on the ground, and had to resort to the agreement which includes commitments of the former U.S. President Joe Biden, including not forcing Palestinians to leave Gaza, their right to self-determination, and a future Palestinian state.
