JNS.org – At the recent meeting in the White House between President Donald Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two leaders focused on how to make the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) initiative a reality. While the subjects discussed included bilateral issues, such as security cooperation, advanced technology, energy and trade, the central issue that most keenly relates to Israel at this difficult time was the uplifting idea of the economic corridor to stretch from India to one of Israel’s Mediterranean ports, either Ashdod or Haifa, and then on to Europe.

The idea of the economic corridor was first raised in September 2023 during the G-20 Summit in India and received resounding support from the United States, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. These countries, along with Germany, Italy, France and India, signed on to the declaration. The plan envisions two trade corridors: a maritime corridor from India to the UAE and a land corridor via railroad from UAE to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel, and then on to Europe. The plan calls for expanding underwater communication and gas pipelines, improving energy grids and telecommunication lines, promoting clean energy technology and enhancing internet access in the hopes of ensuring stability and security between the various regions.

The ostensible purpose of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor is to develop a cost-effective, cross-border, ship-to-rail transit network that would supplement existing maritime and road transport routes. Goods and services would travel to, from and between India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Europe, with the goal of securing regional supply chains and trade accessibility.

Israel is to be the gateway to Europe. Although Israel and Jordan are not officially co-signers of the declaration, Israel’s importance rests not only on its geostrategic location but on its advanced technological prowess as well. The skills that Israel would provide are critical to the success of the IMEC project and to the countries involved.

For Israel, the idea of a regional economic and security alliance is not new. Israel Katz, then-Israel’s minister of transportation and current defense minister, conceived of a plan in 2017 called “Tracks for Regional Peace.” He envisioned connecting Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel with Europe. His successor as transportation minister, Miri Regev, thought along the same lines, calling the project “From Gulf to Gulf” in 2021.

What made the vision more than a dream was the Abraham Accords and the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco. New ways of thinking were instrumental in a gradual process toward normalization with Saudi Arabia, one demonstration of which included the Saudis permitting Israeli commercial airlines to fly over its territory, saving airlines precious fuel and shortening flight time from Israel to Africa and the Far East. There were also periodic meetings of Israeli and Saudi officials, including a “not so secret” visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (known as MBS). These preliminaries led to the first stages of cooperation in security and commerce. The Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war against Hamas disrupted efforts toward realizing the economic corridor.

India, however, pushed forward with a plan, investing great efforts to connect Europe, and, specifically Italy, France and Greece, with its Middle Eastern partners, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Israel’s brilliant military performance against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran has raised Jerusalem’s prestige in the eyes of the moderate Arab Gulf states. That prowess, combined with Trump’s return to the White House, has increased the possibility of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. What’s more, despite the brutal war and Arab solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, countries such as the UAE and Bahrain were not deterred and continued working closely with Israel. Thus, the prospect of moving forward with the inter-regional economic corridor has become more substantive.

The Trump administration’s close relationship with Israel and Netanyahu’s personal friendship with Modi of India provide the Jewish state with a window of opportunity to take part in the economic corridor. Even more importantly, it would present a chance to reshape the Middle East. This would strengthen Israel’s political and economic standing in the midst of an ongoing war.

Israel needs to initiate a dialogue with Trump and Modi, presenting them with a roadmap for the role Israel would play in the IMEC initiative. Part of the strategy would require, for instance, upgrading transit points on the border between Israel and Jordan, and standardizing the rail systems between the two countries. Israel could be particularly relevant in securing information and cyber-connection, which will be a crucial element of the plan’s connectivity.

An inter-regional economic corridor initiative would directly challenge China’s expensive “Belt and Road Initiative,” which seeks to establish trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia, Europe and Africa. China would certainly be unhappy with the IMEC initiative and would likely seek to disrupt it.

Given the rivalry between China and the United States—and the increase in attacks on undersea cables—securing these lines will be critical to the success of regional connectivity. Israel, for its part, can secure its portion of the Mediterranean Sea.

Finally, for Israel, the security dimension of the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor is of utmost value. It will, by necessity, bring about a military defensive pact between Israel and Saudi Arabia to serve as a bulwark against the machinations of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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