Officials in Abu Dhabi warned Sunday of possible diplomatic repercussions between the United Arab Emirates and Israel if Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg's decision to delay the implementation of a proposed oil transport deal, with the UAE isn't reversed.
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The deal between Israel's state-owned Europe Asia Pipeline Company and the UAE was part of the peace deal crafted between the two countries in September 2020.
Within the framework of the deal, Gulf oil would be brought to the Red Sea port of Eilat by tanker, then moved by the Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline through mainland Israel to the Mediterranean port of Ashkelon, from where it would be shipped to Europe and beyond.
Green groups have warned the deal could inflict massive environmental damage.
Zandberg's intention to repeal the agreement was first reported by Israel Hayom last month.
In the wake of Zandberg's decision, senior officials in Abu Dhabi told Israel Hayom: "With the establishment of the government in Israel, we understood this scenario could unfold. This is an agreement that was signed after all the tests were done, and its annulment could certainly lead to an erosion of the ties being formed with the Israeli government and with Israeli commercial companies.
"Repealing such an agreement is absolutely a violation of all the mutual economic clauses signed within the framework of the Abraham Accords. Companies from the Emirates will think hard before doing business with Israeli state-owned companies, knowing there's a reasonable possibility that the signed deal will be annulled. We don't interfere in internal affairs and other countries' political matters, but it's clear to us that in this case [Zandberg's decision] to cancel the agreement stems from political considerations," the official said.
Another senior official in the UAE told Israel Hayom that Abu Dhabi doesn't intend on giving up on the agreement so easily, and that if need be, will petition an international court. "It's still too early to come to conclusions. We will speak with who we need in Israel to understand the significance of the decision to repeal the agreement. We put a great deal of work into this [agreement] and millions of dollars into the planning stage, not so we would give up so quickly. We'll study the decision and act accordingly," said the official.
As a reminder, Zandberg's predecessor, Gila Gamliel, began lobbying for the deal's cancelation immediately after it was exposed by Kan 11 News earlier this year.
"This deal must be repealed without delay," Gamliel said at the time. "This deal was signed without informing the Environmental Protection Ministry and without consulting its experts. The alarms are sounding and the government must spare no effort to prevent the next [environmental] disaster."
The agreement is opposed, as stated, by the former and current environmental protection ministers, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the local coastal authorities, a forum of some 20 environmental organizations, scores of scientists and Eilat residents.
Zandberg said Sunday that she was determined the government would hold a strategic discussion about the deal, which would likely not contribute anything to the Israeli economy while threatening the coral reefs of the Gulf of Eilat and the resort town's tourism.
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