Netanyahu says Israel must prepare for banking sanctions, floats crypto as a possible bypass
The prime minister also told Israelis to 'prepare yourselves' for U.S. aid to end, saying that 'the United States has changed. It's over, and it will come to an end. It's only a matter of time'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the Leviathan natural gas platform on Thursday, alongside Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen. The visit underscored natural gas' crucial role as a strategic national asset and significant revenue generator for the Israeli state, according to the Prime Minister's Office.
Since commencing operations in December 2019, Leviathan has contributed NIS 32 billion in revenue to the government coffers. The cumulative revenue from Israel's natural gas and oil sector is forecast to surpass NIS 350 billion, the PMO announced.
A major share of the sector's projected earnings stems from export agreements, particularly with Egypt. In December 2025, Israel inked a natural gas export deal with Egypt valued at roughly NIS 112 billion, underscoring the resource's economic and diplomatic implications. This agreement is expected to yield about NIS 58 billion in revenue for the Israeli treasury.
The PMO emphasized that domestic natural gas production has kept household energy costs down, saving Israeli families thousands of shekels annually. Energy prices in Israel remain more than 20% lower than those in the European Union and other Western nations.
Israel is actively seeking additional natural gas reserves and expanding its energy infrastructure to accommodate rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence data centers. During Thursday's visit, Netanyahu and Cohen received a security briefing from the commander of the Israeli Navy's Haifa base, discussing measures to safeguard the offshore platform.
The Leviathan gas field temporarily halted operations for over 30 days following the commencement of Operation Roaring Lion against Iran on February 28, due to concerns about potential threats to the platform. Production resumed early in April.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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