Israel's top diplomat in Dubai said he is hopeful a deal to ship Emirati oil will clear environmental hurdles as trade booms between the two Middle Eastern powers.
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Ilan Sztulman Starosta, who heads Israel's first consulate in the UAE economic hub, told French news agency AFP that trade between the two countries would "easily" surpass $1 billion within a year, if the COVID pandemic abates.
His assessment came despite Israel freezing the Gulf oil deal last month over fears that spills could threaten unique coral reefs in the Red Sea.
Environmentalists had voiced anger over the plan to transport it via an aging pipeline to Ashkelon on the Mediterranean coast for onward transport to Europe, saying it could have a disastrous outcome.
"The Environment Ministry froze the program. So now they went into a project to have professional people look at the pipeline and check what's needed to make it foolproof," Sztulman Starosta said.
"And eventually I hope that this is going to be open again because it's a very good deal for both the Emirates and the state of Israel."
Business exchanges between the two sides were already robust. Sztulman Starosta said Israel-UAE trade hit $500 million in August, excluding investments, after deals ranging from tourism and aviation to financial services.
"I'm being conservative, I think we might double the trade volume in one year, if COVID goes away," he said, adding that "the potential is absolutely huge for both sides ... I think we can very easily achieve this."
About 200,000 Israelis have visited the UAE since the establishment of ties, Sztulman Starosta added, with an estimated 40 Israeli companies setting up in UAE free-trade zones.
Environmentalists decried the decision again earlier this week after the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company said a small amount of fuel leaked from its pipeline in southern Israel.
As soon as the leak was discovered, pipeline operations were suspended and the company triggered its cleanup protocols, EAPC said Monday,
About 100 cubic meters of fuel escaped from the pipe and about 800 tons of contaminated soil from an area of about 3,000 square meters (32,291 sq. feet) were removed from the area of the spill, the company said in a statement.
The Environmental Protection Ministry has launched an investigation into the leak.
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Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg visited the scene on Monday.
"This is a very serious incident, which once again illustrates how dangerous and harmful the transportation of fossil fuel in the heart of the State of Israel can be," she said.
"This incident highlights that mishaps happen all the time, something that we cannot allow to happen in close proximity to sensitive areas, on land or at sea, such as near a coral reefs that are of global importance."
She said that the ministry "will examine the circumstances of the incident, and act to enforceme proceedings with the company as required."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
