Community Magazine Februafy 2009

situation. Demonstrators had already thrown snowballs, knives and stones at the building, and appeared poised to break in. Hundreds of thousands of people have protested throughout the world against Israel’s counterterrorist campaign, and burned Israeli and American flags. Crowds in London, Paris, Toronto and Denmark have expressed solidarity with the Palestinians, Hizbullah and Nazi sentiments. – C ORRESPONDENT D AVE G ORDON Israel Gas Discovery – Opportunities and Challenges Sixty miles off the coast of Haifa, Israel, more than a mile under- water and with more than a mile of salt on top, Israel discovered new natural gas reserves. This find is by far the largest natural gas source in Israel, with an estimated value of $15 billion, and is believed to contain enough gas to last over 15 years. Putting a damper on the find are claims by Lebanon that some of the reserves extend to Lebanese coastal waters. Lebanon, which imports almost all of its natural gas from Egypt has pledged to “protect its rights,” con- cerning the discovery. The existing gas wells in southern Israel are expected to be depleted within five years. The new resource can substantially reduce Israel’s dependence on foreign natural gas, oil and coal, thus giving the country’s economy a significant boost. Natural gas is also more environmentally friendly than other fuel sources. Infrastructure to remove the gas from the wells will cost $1 billion, and the project could be completed as early as 2013. – CM S TAFF Israeli-Arab Parties Disqualified The Central Elections Committee recently voted by an overwhelming majority to disqualify the Israeli-Arab Balad and Ra’am Ta’al parties from running in the upcoming elections, because of their opposition to Israel’s existence and support for the armed struggle against Israel. Balad is an Arab party that was previously led by former Knesset Member Azmi Bishara, who fled the country in 2006 amid investigations into his alleged support of Hizbullah during the Second Lebanon War. The Supreme Court has overturned a similar dis- qualification decision in the past, and is expected to do so again. – C ORRESPONDENT D AVE G ORDON 100MPG in 2012 from Israeli Engine A new piston-less turbine engine being developed by Israeli com- pany, Agam Energy Systems, may revolutionize the automotive industry. Dr. Gad Assaf, a physicist in energy and thermodynamics, and Agam’s chief technology officer reports that the engine would consume only a fifth of the fuel and release just one tenth of the emissions of traditional combustion engines using a two phase liquid gas turbine-like engine using a revolutionary liquid ring compressor that achieves a much higher mechanical efficiency than previously possible. The engine has passed feasibility testing and already has a prototype of the crucial part of the engine, the compressor. The company is looking for investors to help bring the invention to market by 2012. The technology can also be adapted for industrial machin- ery and power plants. – I SRAEL 21C the international community 84 Community magazine