Here's a good article on Zion, once again showing that much of their support is based in faith rather than science or engineering.
theglobeandmail.com
In Promised Land, Moses should have held out for oil
MARK MACKINNON
JERUSALEM -- When they left Egypt several millennia ago, the Israelites did so on a promise from their leader, Moses, that they were heading to a "land of milk and honey."
At the time, that was enough. With milk and honey, plus a few olive trees, you had a pretty decent economy for 1500 B.C. By all accounts, the Israelites were pretty happy with their new digs after 40 years of wandering in the desert.
Looking back, however, Moses probably should have held out in his dealings with God for some place with oil reserves.
The international markets for milk and honey have cooled off substantially in the past few thousand years and while most of the Middle East is awash in oil -- the modern equivalent of milk and honey -- Israel is without. As a result, the Jewish state, for all its military might, is an energy importer, buying much of its oil from faraway Russia and Azerbaijan.
The Promised Land wasn't supposed to be this lacking.
Trusting that God wouldn't have left his chosen people without a reliable energy supply, believers and businessmen have been drilling the Holy Land for oil almost since the establishment of modern-day Israel in 1948.
The black stuff was occasionally discovered a few times along the way, but never in significant amounts and never in a place that it was economically feasible to extract from.
While many have quit in defeat, others like Delaware-incorporated Zion Oil and Gas Inc. have never given up, drilling along the coast between Haifa and Tel Aviv in the belief that God must have given Israel oil.
Zion's website uses a quote from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy (which speaks of divine intent to provide the Israelites with "thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil") as proof that shareholders' money is not being wasted and the company's endeavours will eventually succeed. The company describes its work, which has yet to yield a significant find, as a "Biblical treasure hunt" and drills according to "clues" the company's directors believe they have found in scriptures.
After years of such prayers going unanswered, it was something of a shock to those of weaker faith when an Israeli firm, Ginko Oil Exploration, announced recently it had struck oil near the Dead Sea.
It certainly wasn't a large amount; the total find is estimated at just 120,000 barrels, not enough to supply Israel, which consumes 220,000 barrels a day, for even 24 hours. At the top end, 100 to 150 barrels a day could be pumped out of the Dead Sea site. As one analyst put it, that's a "rounding error" compared to the nine million barrels produced by Saudi Arabia every day.
But for many here, it was seen as proof that God is still providing for his chosen people.
"Glory to God! This oil is from God, just watch what will happen in future. This is in God's will for his people," wrote one poster in response to an article about the find on Israel's popular Ynet news website. Others quoted scripture and celebrated the "holy oil" as though it were manna from heaven.
Eli Tannenbaum, Ginko's geological adviser, was more reserved, but nonetheless spoke of the prospect of finding "much bigger wells in the area." Zion Oil, meanwhile, just completed a successful initial public offering at the end of last month.
Ginko's find means the faith-based drilling will continue as enthusiastically as ever in Israel -- with explorers keeping one eye fixed critically on the ground, the other hopefully on the sky. |
