<p>JERUSALEM — One of Israel’s biggest energy companies plans to sell its share of a large offshore gas field to a firm based in the United Arab Emirates for an estimated $1.1 billion, the biggest such deal since the two countries normalized ties last year.</p>
<p>Delek Drilling, owned by the Israeli billionaire Yitzhak Tshuva, said Monday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Mubadala Petroleum, part of a conglomerate owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. The proposed deal was detailed in a notification filed with Israeli authorities.</p>
<p>Delek Drilling is required to sell its 22% share of the offshore Tamar gas field by the end of this year as part of a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-israel-environment-solar-power-prices-31701d5358667912cb8e0d5e6e881428">2015 gas framework agreement</a> aimed at introducing more competition to the Israeli gas sector, which has grown in recent years with the discovery of large offshore reserves.</p>
<p>The Tamar field, which went online in 2013, is believed to hold more than 300 billion cubic meters of gas. Chevron and the Israeli-American company Isramco each own around a third of Tamar, with the remainder held by smaller firms.</p>
<p>Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize relations last year in a U.S.-brokered deal. Since then, Israelis have flocked to the UAE, home to the bustling futuristic cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and companies have pursued partnerships in a wide range of sectors.</p>
<p>The normalization agreement, which was followed by similar accords with Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, eroded the long-standing Arab consensus that recognition of Israel should only be granted in return for advancing the peace process with the Palestinians.</p>
<p>The Palestinians cast the agreements as a betrayal of their cause, and the criticism has flared again in recent days as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-religion-jerusalem-ba39b8815cc8b0634f959d377cb30acd">Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police in Jerusalem</a>. The UAE has expressed concern about the violence and called on Israel to take steps to calm tensions.</p>
