Just when Israel was on track to realize the benefits of its sizable natural gas fields, a major obstacle could send that promise off the rails. Woodside Petroleum recently announced that it has withdrawn from talks with Noble Energy (NBL) and its partners about becoming a partner in the Leviathan gas field and a potential LNG export terminal. This is a major problem for Noble, because it will be awfully difficult to persuade other LNG players such as ExxonMobil (XOM -3.01%) or Chevron (CVX -2.67%) to sign on to a deal.
Why is that? Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe and Motley Fool energy bureau chief Joel South discuss this particular issue and some other options for Noble and its Israeli partners in the video below.