At the recent G-20 meeting, the US-EU-India supported the creation of a project of an alternative maritime trade route to the “Chinese Silk Road”, which will have India as its starting point and go through Oman-Saudi Arabia-Jordan-Israel -SE Mediterranean would end up in Greece and from there in the heart of the EU.
This new sea route notably leaves Turkey out, which caused a strong reaction from Erdogan, who then “reached out” to Greece, in order to initially improve relations with it in matters of common interest and low politics, with the ultimate goal of to jointly proceed with the delimitation of the continental shelf-EEZ in the Aegean and SE Mediterranean, indirectly claiming a role in the above project.
At the same time, Iran, hostile to the West, together with its proxies, the Houthis of Yemen, threaten the safety of navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el Madeb, with the result that the Arab countries of the Gulf are looking for shorter and safer land routes to bring oil and their natural gas to the EU.
On the part of Israel and the USA, it seems that they are promoting as a partial solution to the above the construction of the “Ben Gurion Canal”, which would connect the Gulf of Aqaba, the port of Eilat in Israel with the also Israeli port of Ashkelon in the Mediterranean Sea, through a sea canal to be built, bypassing the Suez Canal.
Τhe history
In July 1963, the US Department of Energy and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory created a classified document that described a plan to use 520 underground nuclear detonators to aid in the process of excavating hills in the Negev desert. The document was declassified in 1993.
The project will connect the Gulf of Aqaba to the Mediterranean Sea. David Ben Gurian after whom it would be named, is considered the founder of Israel and was the first prime minister of Israel.
The canal would compete with the Suez Canal through Egypt, which has had many upheavals in its history, including the closure of the Suez Canal (1956-1957 and from 1967-1975) and blockage due to the capsize of a large ship 2021.
It would be almost a third longer than the Suez Canal (194 km) which means almost 300 km. The cost of creating the Israeli channel is estimated to be more than 16 billion dollars.
The overturning of the cargo ship in the Suez Canal for more than six days and the failure of the ship to float was not the news or the reasons behind the accident. But the real news behind it was the need to revive the “Ben-Gurion Canal” project.
The proposed canal starts at the southern end in the Gulf of Aqaba, from the port city of Eilat in Israel on the Israel-Jordan border and ends at the Israeli port of Ashkelon in the Mediterranean Sea, further north of the Gaza Strip.
Dominance in Maritime Trade
Israel’s Ben Gurion Canal would represent more than a man-made miracle, marking a major change in the dynamics of global maritime trade.
Significantly wider than the Suez Canal, it will accommodate an increased number of ships, because it will be built on harder ground than the sand at Suez, the canal will allow two-way traffic, allowing ships to pass in both directions at the same time.
This project is not just a logistical improvement, since it is going to be a profound confirmation of Israel’s intention to become the center of global maritime trade.
The new Israeli canal would offer unparalleled military advantages by strengthening Israel’s defenses and providing a barrier against potential threats from the south. Such a strategic advantage in an unstable region could reshape the balance of power.
Challenges for the construction of the Israeli canal
The challenges for its construction are the following:
1. Opposition from Arab nations led by Egypt as its revenue from the Suez Canal is estimated at $8 billion. Once Ben-Gurion is activated it will drop to $4 billion.
2. The construction of the Ben-Gurion Canal may take several years with the participation of approximately 300,000 engineers and technicians who will be hired from all over the world
3. The proposed canal will cross a varied terrain configuration such as desert, mountainous terrain and the Dead Sea basin which lies below the surface of the sea.
4. Underground nuclear explosions are likely to receive backlash.
5. Egypt may decide to widen the Suez Canal at a third of the cost that Israel is proposing.
The Port of Haifa
Traditionally, trade between India and Europe has relied heavily on the Suez Canal. Following the takeover of Haifa Port, Israel’s second largest port, by a consortium led by India’s Adani Group, it is being transformed into a world-class facility that can provide an alternative route, apart from challenging China’s growing footprint in the region.
Ron Malka, Israel’s former envoy to India, the executive chairman of the Haifa Ports Corporation says the goal is to develop Haifa Port as a true gateway connecting East and West.
The Ben Gurion Canal will bring great changes on a global level
In conclusion we would say that one of the main military benefits for Israel is that the Ben Gurion Canal will completely remove the importance of Suez for the US military if it needs to rush to Israel’s aid.
Israel will push Egypt into a corner, eliminating Suez from a global trade and energy corridor and becoming a global trade and energy supply chain center itself.
This situation would shake the strategic-energy balance of China’s Belt and Road project, while the Ben Gurion Canal would have the firm support of the West.
