Thousands of Israelis protest against gas deal

Thousands of Israelis have protested in Tel Aviv against a gas deal they say will create a monopoly for a consortium that includes US company Noble Energy.
The demonstrators denounced the deal yesterday, which they said amounted to a "gift" for the consortium.
Similar gatherings were also held in other parts of Israel, including Beersheba in the south.
Opponents argue that the deal, which has been approved by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and parliament, would hand Noble and Delek an effective monopoly over the state's natural gas reserves.
The agreement still needs clearance from the parliament's economics committee, although its role is only advisory.

After that, opponents are planning to challenge the legality of the deal in the supreme court, according to reports.
Israel has been trying to extract offshore gas since the discovery of the Tamar and Leviathan fields in 2009 and 2010.
While extraction has begun in Tamar, the far larger Leviathan has been hit by a series of bureaucratic delays.