Nik Kowsar: One overlooked aspect of the conflict in Gaza … oil

Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, March 12, 2025

I traveled to Israel in 2019, inspired by Seth M. Siegel’s “Let There Be Water” — a book so compelling it turned me into a full-blown Israeli water management fanboy. I followed its roadmap like a true believer — until I hit the Gaza border.

I never crossed over. It had all the charm of an exclusive club for the Iranian regime’s biggest cheerleaders, complete with barbed-wire aesthetics. So, I stayed put, camera in hand, chatting with the local water museum guy — because, naturally, even water gets a museum before it disappears.

That’s where I met Itzik Ibo, a man who looked like he’d spent too many years watching water crises unfold like bad sequels in that dry, dusty environment. He was worried Gaza’s groundwater was vanishing faster than common sense in Middle Eastern politics. Even the cacti were filing for early retirement.

You’d think water access would be as basic as Wi-Fi or claiming the last slice of pizza. But try explaining that to the border guards, who looked ready to interrogate me for discussing aquifers. Meanwhile, the water museum guy stared at me like I’d just asked him to explain cryptocurrency.

Then, days after I left, Hamas launched incendiary balloons — riding the power of the wind — setting fires near where I had interviewed Itzik.

And what had I missed? Something that could fuel fire without water being able to put it out: Oil.

The post-Oct. 7 massacre

A year after Hamas’ massacre and a brutal war, Gaza is in ruins, and now the U.S. is reportedly eyeing a takeover.

President Trump’s logic? No solution? Bulldoze the obstacles and throw in an unexpected plot twist. What could possibly go wrong?

But something’s being conveniently overlooked — that massive oil reserve off the Gaza coast. Ever heard much about it? Funny how that detail rarely makes headlines. Years ago, estimates suggested the reserves could bring in $524 billion to the people in the area.

And who discovered this reserve? The British. Yes, the same British who struck oil in Iran in the early 1900s, kicked off a century of geopolitical chaos, and, well, here we are. And in all the power plays, everyone conveniently forgot about the impact of oil on climate change.

So, what would have happened if Hamas had been in charge of this oil? Oh, that’s easy — terrorist leaders would’ve robbed the Gazans blind while funding more war. Because when has Hamas ever prioritized the people over its own power?

Now imagine Hamas still in charge, with Iran pulling the strings and Qatar playing both sides like a Middle Eastern Switzerland — if Switzerland also hosted and financed terrorists.

What’s next? More chaos, more denials, and more people pretending this is all a shocking turn of events.

Step one: “De-Hamasizing” Gaza.

Step two? Who knows. Maybe a U.S.-Israel-Egypt joint venture?

Maybe Trump’s grand idea: relocate Gazans to Egypt and Jordan — because forcibly moving millions has always worked out so well in history. Arab leaders rejected it. Something about international law and Palestinian self-determination — minor details.

But let’s be honest, those same leaders never really tried to fix this mess either.

Now, picture a Gazan child who once believed oil could have meant prosperity being shipped off somewhere else, asking,
”Isn’t Gaza our home? Don’t we get a cut of that oil? Why couldn’t we have smarter leaders instead of terrorists who doomed us to a lifetime of being refugees? Why are we always the collateral damage in someone else’s energy deal?”

That child has no clue about a timeline, no idea whether Gaza will become a Middle Eastern Las Vegas, and no understanding of how money from this so-called new takeover will change his future.

And now? Trump says he would “recommend” but not enforce his plan for the U.S. takeover of Gaza and the resettlement of its population.

So, nothing is final.

Is there a solution?

Out of the four elements — water, fire, dust and wind — it seems the fifth element is at play: politics.

Nothing burns hotter, spreads faster, erodes trust more efficiently or changes direction as unpredictably as political agendas. And to keep the game going, Arab states have poured millions into Washington think tanks, funding lobbyists to “solve” problems.

The solution? Who knows. Until humanity is injected into politics, there won’t be one.

Damn Machiavelli, who turned diplomacy from handshakes to realpolitik.

And you expect me to figure out a solution in a world still thirsty for oil while forgetting the importance of water in a warming climate?

Awkward.

Nik Kowsar is an Iranian-American journalist, cartoonist and water issues analyst based in Washington, D.C. He was exiled to Canada and the U.S. after his arrest for a cartoon satirizing a powerful cleric.