A group of protesters lined up outside of Chevron’s headquarters asking the company to divest from operations in Israel and Palestine amid the ongoing war.
Members of the Oil and Gas Action Network gathered and blocked the entrance to Chevron’s global headquarters as the company held its annual shareholders meeting. Many held unfurled banners and signs urging consumers to boycott the oil giant.
“Chevron is literally fueling the genocide being waged against Palestinians," said Matt Leonard of the Oil and Gas Action Network, in a news release. "We are protesting at their global headquarters during their annual shareholder meeting in support of the growing call to Boycott Chevron for their legacy of human rights and climate abuses in Palestine, and around the world."
The U.S. energy giant greenlit a $24 million investment in February to bolster natural gas production capacity from the Tamar gas field, off the coast of Israel.
The investment is part of the company’s two-phase plan to expand natural gas production capacity from the Tamar field to meet Israel’s energy needs. The project is expected to also export gas to Egypt.
"The occupation of Palestine and the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza are contributing to profits for multi-national corporations like Chevron," said Wassim Hage of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center in a news release. "We are seeing every day the exploitation of the environment, and the occupation and desecration of Indigenous land, from this country to Palestine. We are demanding an end to the US complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, both from the US government, and from these corporation that exploit the land and indigenous communities worldwide."
The group claims Chevron “supplies Israel’s military efforts with light and power via the operation and co-ownership of deep-water gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.”
Local
A spokesperson for Chevron said the company "respects the rights of people to express their views peacefully and lawfully, and we expect a similar level of respect for our employees."
According to Reuters, the San Ramon-based company currently hold a 25% stake in the Tamar reservoir.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
In 2020, the Tamar gas field produced a total of 8.3 billion cubic meters of gas, where 7.7 bcm went directly to Israel, Reuters reported citing data from an Israeli energy firm.
