The Times : Israel’s rail route to rival Suez Canal on track

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’The Times’ British newspaper reported on Saturday that Israel is close to finalizing a railway route that poses an alternative to the Suez Canal.

The newspaper said that the « instability in Egypt has added to the urgency of a project to connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. »

It added that the events that led to the deaths of tens in the cities overlooking the Suez Canal has led to the suspension of shipping groups for a few days.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced in a cabinet meeting in January that a pipeline is being created to transport goods between Asia and Europe.

He said that the line « has attracted wide attention among developing countries such as China, India and others, » he added that the new line will be « a crossroad between continents and is therefore strategically important on the national and international levels. »

Meanwhile, an Israeli official told Reuters, « The new line is a protective guarantee for fear that the Suez Canal is burdened by the increasing movement of maritime trade, » rejecting that the plan came in response to the political unrest in Egypt and the rise of Islamist parties.