The gas is intended for a Palestinian power station built two years ago. Egypt also wants to sell natural gas to Israel, but the negotiations for this are delayed. In response to Shawwa’s announcement, Paritzky said that the matter should be viewed favourably, but that it was necessary to ensure that the gas to the Authority passed through Israeli territory so that Israel could obtain natural gas through the same pipeline. Paritzky said such an arrangement would deepen Egypt’s commitment to regularly supply gas to Israel. “This is an opportunity for regional cooperation between Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority. It ties the countries together and creates a common economic interest, which can greatly contribute to the peace process,” he is reported to have said.