JERUSALEM: Shipments of Egyptian gas to Israel are to resume on Feb. 17 following a weekend attack on a pipeline in northern Sinai, an investor in the pipeline said on Tuesday. In a statement, Ampal-American Israel Corporation — which owns 12.5 percent of the East Mediterranean Gas Company that owns the pipeline — said it had been informed of the planned resumption by the Egyptian national gas company. Imports were halted as a precaution after saboteurs on Saturday attacked a separate pipeline, about 30 kilometers away from the Israel-bound one, that transports Egyptian gas to Jordan. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack, which came as Israel expressed concerns its natural gas supplies from Egypt could be threatened if a new regime takes power in Cairo. Egypt supplies about 40 percent of Israel's natural gas which is used to produce electricity. In December, four Israeli firms signed 20-year contracts worth up to $10 billion (7.4 billion euros) to import Egyptian gas.
