Algerian businessman and politician Rachid Nekkaz has lifted the veil on Algeria’s diplomatic hypocrisy, revealing that while the Algerian republic cut ties with Morocco simply for resuming ties with Israel, Neptune Energy, an Israeli company run by a close friend of Israel’s Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu now owns 65% of the natural gas produced in Adrar in the central part of Algeria.
In an interview with Radio M, Nekkas stated that he was surprised that Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra had allowed such a deal with Neptune Energy owned by the Carlyle Group, which was founded and owned by the Israeli-American David Rubenstein.
Rubenstein who is Jewish has strong ties with Netanyahu.
A few months after Morocco resumed its ties with Israel in December 2020 as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, Algeria cut all diplomatic ties with the Kingdom. At the time, the Foreign Minister criticized the introduction of “a foreign military force into the Maghreb” when Morocco knew full well that Algeria opposes the Jewish state.
France regained control of Algerian oil and gas in 2015 and at that time controlled 65% of the natural gas in Adrar. In 2017, Lamamra negotiated a deal with French President Emmanuel Macron to give up the 65% of the onshore Adrar gas owned by France to Neptune Energy.
Algeria’s oil consortium now owns only 35% of the Adrar gas reserves.