A gas deal signed by Isreal, the EU, and Egypt that was up for renewal in June 2025 is likely to make the EU complicit in breaches of international law, according to an investigation by Global Witness.

The gas deal was originally signed in 2022, during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in an attempt by the EU to diversify its gas supply and end its reliance on Russian gas.

According to the MoU that was signed, signatory parties would work together to enable a regular supply of natural gas to EU member states from Isreal, Egypt, and other sources.

The agreement allows for substantial Israeli gas exports to Europe.

The route for these exports crosses Palestinian territory via the East Mediterranean Gas (EMG) pipeline, operated by Noble Energy, a subsidiary of US oil company Chevron.

Campaigners have called for an end to EU member states’ imports of Israeli gas, and for all ‘state and corporate actors involved in the running of the pipeline to be held legally accountable.’

Human rights organisation Al-Haq, based in the West Bank, released a report a decade ago which said that Israel’s techniques of ‘accelerated gas production, deep sea drilling, and fracking might have damaged joint geological structures impacting on future Palestinian production of oil and gas.’

More recently, following the eruption of the Isreal-Palestine war in October 2023, after terrorist group Hamas invaded the Nova music festival, development of the Gaza Marine gas field was suspended immediately.

According to a report by World Bank, the gas field, once developed, is estimated to generate US$2.7bn in fiscal revenues for the Palestinian Authority over 25 years of production.

However until the war is ended, development of the field will remain halted.

On the MoU, Ya’ra Peretz, Collectivist Coordinator at Gastivists said that the EU has ‘consistently played a complicit role, contributing to the destabilisation of the lives of people in the region.’

Global Witness said that it had received legal advice from lawyers outlining possible breaches of international law posed by the EMG pipeline.

They said that the construction of the pipeline across Palestinian waters without agreement from the Palestinian Authority was a breach of international law.

Palestine is not recognised as a sovereign state by Isreal or the majority of EU member states, amongst other key countries. Furthermore, its naval borders are disputed.

As a result, it has not received any revenue from the EMG pipeline thus far.

The EU’s 2022 MoU also ignores evidence of lethal Israeli military endorsement of the naval blockade in Palestine, which has been maintained in part to protect the pipeline.