Saudi Arabia's plan to exclude Israel from the IMEC trade corridor and reroute it via Syria is driven by stalled normalization and security developments in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, i24NEWS reporter Amichai Stein reports, citing two sources familiar with the details.
A new report from i24NEWS by Amichai Stein sheds light on the motivations behind Saudi Arabia's plan to exclude Israel from the India-Middle East-Europe (IMEC) trade corridor and reroute it via Syria. According to two sources familiar with the details, the plan is driven by difficulties in advancing normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as security developments in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb.
The plan was first reported by The Zioneer at 20:44 Jerusalem, based on the same i24NEWS report. The IMEC project, announced by President Biden at the G20 in September 2023, was designed to link India to Europe via the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Greece, and was seen as a cornerstone of potential normalization. The new report provides the first explicit explanation of the Saudi calculus behind the reroute.
The corridor has faced multiple challenges, including competing proposals from Turkey and Syria to bypass Israel, as reported in recent weeks. Israeli officials have not yet responded to the latest report. The development underscores the erosion of the original IMEC vision as normalization remains stalled and regional maritime threats persist.
3 developments
- DevelopingTurkey, Syria advancing rival trade corridor to bypass Israel, report says
- DevelopingTurkish minister says Saudi Arabia will connect to Turkey via rail through Jordan within 3-4 years
- DevelopingReport: US considers withdrawing troops from Saudi Arabia amid tensions over Iran war
- DevelopingN12 analyst: Turkey, Israel in all-out race over rival IMEC trade corridors
Source and signal
- Internal intake