Israel
has
authorized drilling for oil on the occupied
Golan Heights
in a
move likely to draw international protest, local media reported Thursday.
Yediot Aharonot daily said a license to prospect had been issued to
U.S.-Israeli energy company Genie (GNE), headed by Effie Eitam, a Golan settler
and former hardline rightwing cabinet minister.
Business journal Globes said shareholders include media mogul Rupert Murdoch,
while Republican former Vice President Dick Cheney is an advisor.
Israel
seized the Golan from
Syria
in
the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognized by the
international community.
"Awarding a drilling licence on the Golan could cause an international
fracas, given the Golan's status as occupied Syrian territory under
international law," Globes said.
Yediot wrote that
Israel
halted oil exploration on the strategic plateau 20 years ago, during
Middle
East
peace talks.
"
Israel
was
afraid at that time that drilling for oil on the
Golan
Heights
might undermine future possible agreements," it said.
The Israeli energy ministry spokeswoman couldn't immediately be reached for
comment.
Israel
has substantial gas deposits off its Mediterranean coast.