BEN GURION CANAL PROJECT

WHY IN NEWS:

Due to Israel Hamas conflict. Israel exploring options for alternative to Suez canal.

WHAT IS BEN GURION CANAL PROJECT?

1. It was first envisioned in the 1960s and seen as an alternative to Suez Canal route.
2. The proposed project is to cut a canal through the Israeli-controlled Negev Desert from the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba – the eastern arm of the Red Sea that juts into Israel’s southern tip and southwestern Jordan – to the Eastern Mediterranean coast.

AIMS OF THE PROJECT

1. Suez Canal congestion– In March 2021, the mammoth cargo ship Ever Given got stuck in the canal, blocking passage for more than a week. Despite being widened and deepened over the years, it remains perennially congested.
2. To End Egypt’s monopoly– Egypt’s control over the waterway has been a source of conflict for almost 70 years now. The Suez Canal was also the focal point of both the 1967 and 1973 Arab Israeli wars and was shut from 1967-75. It collects all the toll revenue generated, in addition to the benefits it brings to its local economy.
3. Western powers strategic interest– For the West, a shipping lane through Israel would be ideal. Many decades ago, the Americans proposed to use nuclear weapons to blast a waterway through the Negev Desert. But the plan never progressed.