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| Israeli project threatens the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz |
Hebrew media outlets have revealed details of a new strategic project aimed at bypassing both the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal, thus placing Israel at the heart of the global trade network.
The Israeli platform Natsiv Net said that the trade corridor, an integrated transport route linking India, the Gulf and Europe via Jordan and Israel, poses a real strategic threat to Iran and Egypt, but its full implementation still faces complex geopolitical and military obstacles.
The Hebrew platform added that what lies behind this project is Iran’s loss of an insurance policy, as the Strait of Hormuz is the most important economic bottleneck in the world, through which about 20% of global oil supplies pass, noting that Tehran regularly uses the threat of closing the strait or imposing transit fees as a tool of pressure and a protective shield against Western attacks.
She pointed out that bypassing the strait through Israel via this project transforms Israel, specifically through the port of Haifa and initiatives such as the oil pipeline and railway linking the Gulf to the Mediterranean, into a continental transit hub, enabling the Gulf states, India, and Europe to transport goods and energy directly to the Mediterranean without passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which is controlled by Tehran, or the Red Sea, which is threatened by the Houthis.
The Israeli platform Natsiv Net said that Tehran’s fear of losing its economic and security influence has driven it to active sabotage attempts, as Iran directed previous missile attacks towards energy infrastructure in Haifa to send a message to investors that the route is unsafe, and continues to escalate the military situation in the Gulf.
The Hebrew platform added that the project suffers from a fundamental paradox despite being at the heart of the global strategic debate and receiving direct US support. These gaps are evident in several areas:
Firstly, the existing and planned infrastructure has a medium to high level of realism, with infrastructures such as the Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline in Israel and accelerating railway initiatives between Oman and the UAE and ports outside the strait such as Fujairah and Salalah to overcome the bottleneck. However, the logistical gap lies in the fact that the original plan relied on ports inside the Gulf such as Jebel Ali, which in turn are located beyond the Strait of Hormuz, which calls for a replanning of the route network.
Secondly, the international interest is very high, as the recent war and blockades in Hormuz, which have caused billions of dollars in costs to global trade, have made the need for an alternative route an urgent interest for the United States, India, and the European Union. However, the funding and security gap is evident in the reluctance of insurance companies and private investors to pump hundreds of billions into fixed infrastructure as long as the region is under threat from Iranian missiles and drones.
Thirdly, political normalization is classified as low to medium level, as the United States exerts heavy pressure to promote the project as part of a broader regional settlement. However, relying on normalization poses a significant challenge, as the Saudi side stipulates that the progress of the project and the construction of the railways are contingent upon a political solution to the Palestinian issue, which hinders actual implementation.
The Hebrew platform concluded its report by saying that the story is very tangible in terms of the motives of the West and the Gulf states to neutralize Iranian power, but the project is still not fully active as a connected land-sea axis and is entering a race against time. The more Iran succeeds in obstructing the region militarily, the more the implementation will be delayed, and the more alternative infrastructure is built, the more Iran will lose its greatest strategic assets.
This report comes at a time when the region is witnessing major geopolitical shifts, with international powers seeking alternative trade routes that ensure the stability of energy and goods supplies away from traditional points of tension such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. The aforementioned project reflects part of a broader vision to integrate regional economies, despite the political and security challenges that continue to cast a shadow over its time and logistical feasibility.
