The land and sea blockade against Israel is working as Israel takes a strategic hit
The Development Road project, just signed by Turkey, the UAE and Iraq, is a rival to the Israel-centred IMEC
Ahmed Alqarout writes in Mondoweiss on 4 May 2024:
Israel’s aspirations to become the region’s transportation hub have taken a hit. The maritime and land blockade against Israel to stop the genocide in Gaza is working, as one of Israel’s main plans for a prospective “land bridge” connecting the Gulf countries with Israel and Europe has suffered an irrevocable setback.
The Israel-centered India Middle East Europe Economic Corridors project (IMEC), which was first proposed by U.S. President Biden in September of last year during the G20 meetings, is facing an existential threat. The IMEC aims to connect Asia and Europe via a system of railways and ports that pass through India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Greece.
The most recent blow to the IMEC project came last week when the UAE signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Turkey, Iraq, and Qatar to fund the IMEC’s rival, the Development Road Project, which offers alternative railway and highway routes for shipping between Asia and Europe through Iraq to boost local, regional, and international trade. This development signals waning international confidence in Israel’s ability to secure IMEC’s future, especially in light of the genocide in Gaza.
Moreover, the maritime blockades in the Red and Mediterranean Seas, along with the land blockade in Jordan, have raised doubts about the viability of Israel as an efficient and reliable transportation hub. The cost of the genocide in Palestine on Israel is now having strategic ramifications that undermine Israel’s future economic prospects.