Zion Oil & Gas Inc (ZNOG)

[Imperial Whazoo]

If there is not commercially viable oil, then Israel has no need to devote special resources to protecting the site. If there is, they have to do so, big time. Thus, it is 100% logical that the government over there has a seat at the table.

Ask yourselves: when would enemies want to act if there is oil? More precisely: are there two types of threats.... one from hate filled terroriats who simply do not want Israel to have an oil field.... and a second kind of enemy who wants the field to be found, who wants the development to be done, and who then intends to take the asset?

There are three cases to consider from a governmental/military point of view:
a) no oil or too little oil
b) oil that is there but the size is not yet determined
c) a huge field

In the case of a, there is no threat of destruction of the site. In effect.... who cares, in case a.

In case b, the type of terrorist threat is from small time actors who would not want Israel to even know. Protecting the site before it is developed would be the problem needing solving.

In case c, this is the real threat. Because there is value in a developed field, there is a huge need to protect the asset. The greater the asset, the more the enemy would want to take it intact, (if, for no other reason than the costs of development). State actors would want to seize a developed field rather than seize it and have to develop it. Remember all the burning wells in the Kuwait war.

My point is that there are rational reasons for delay. Even for an enemy of Israel, it would be of interest whether there is oil in commercial quantities. And actually, whether Israel has oil here is quite a different matter than the issues arising out of a large find that is in the Golan. In that instance, the argument from the international community will be that Israel is occupying the Golan illegally. As such, any oil there would be said to be Syria's. Here, in Megido, the area would actually have to be militarily conquered. The defensive needs of each case differ substantially.

So, it makes sense for Israel to control the timing of news. I think that the recent massive night-time bombing raids of Iranian ammo sites in Syria were related to the need to eleminate the threat of missile attacks by destroying the missiles before they are distributed all over Syria. A similar set of considerations would be relevant to enemies of Israel as regards the timing of anything they might attempt to do if a large oil find is reported.

From Israel's point of view, control of the news is critical. As a governmental reality, Israel has a huge interest in knowing the dimensions of the problem they have on their hands. As investors, it is irrational to refuse to recognize the importance of these realities, so, as far as I'm concerned, it is nonsensical to cry about it as though it is hard to understand and/or hard to explain.

As kids say today: it is what it is. Deal with it.

Imperial Whazoo