As with all settler-colonial projects, from so-called Australia, to Canada, and Israel, occupation of Indigenous People’s land and waters involves control and extraction of resources.
Just weeks after declaring a complete siege and blockade on Gaza, Israel awarded 12 licenses to six companies, including BP and ENI, for natural gas exploration off the Mediterranean coast. Meanwhile, Palestinians are restricted to waters within 20 nautical miles of the Mediterranean coast and have been prevented from developing any natural resources within their waters by the Israeli occupation state.