Have Israeli scientists solved the fossil-fuel dependency problem? A team of Israeli researchers from Ben Gurion University have created a substance, made from water and carbon dioxide, which can replace crude oil to produce fuel using existing methods.

A NIS 45 million budget for the next four years, four Israeli universities, 100 researchers and 12 teams: this is all part of a national mission is to reduce the world’s dependency on oil by developing a super-battery that can last for over a decade.

Israeli scientists have developed a new process by which any oil, including leftovers of fast food joints, or "falafel stands," as they say, can be turned into biodiesel, without requiring much energy in the process.

Judging by a recent national plan, approved by the government, Israel is planning to become one of the most advanced research and industry centers in the field of oil substitutes for transportation.

The implications for Israel of the West’s growing dependence on Middle Eastern oil are troubling for the country. Yet there are two new developments in Israel's energy sector that could well offset these trends and eventually alter its standing.