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India-led Economic Trade Corridor Could Be a Bonanza for Israel

India’s prime minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addresses the gathering at the Indian Community Reception Event at the Singapore Expo in Singapore on November 24, 2015.

JNS.orgAt 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.

The post India-led Economic Trade Corridor Could Be a Bonanza for Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Antisemites Target Synagogues in Spain, France Amid Surge in Jew Hatred Across Europe

The exterior wall of a synagogue in Girona, Spain, vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. Photo: Screenshot

Pro-Palestinian activists have vandalized synagogues in Spain and France in recent days, sparking public outrage and calls for authorities to step up protections.

These are only the latest incidents in a troubling wave of anti-Jewish hate crimes targeting Jewish communities across Europe which continues unabated.

On Thursday, the Jewish community of Girona, a city in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region, filed a police complaint and urged authorities to take action after the outer wall of the city’s synagogue was defaced with an antisemitic slogan.

Unknown perpetrators defaced the synagogue’s walls with antisemitic graffiti, scrawling messages such as “Israel is a genocidal state, silence = complicity.”

The city’s Jewish community strongly condemned the incident, urging authorities to conduct a swift investigation, impose exemplary sanctions, and ensure robust security measures.

“Disguised as political activism, [this attack] seeks to stigmatize citizens for their faith — something intolerable in a democratic society,” the statement reads. “Tolerance and respect are values we must defend together.”

The European Jewish Association (EJA) also condemned the incident as a hate crime, urging the Spanish government to ensure the safety and protection of its Jewish citizens.

“This is yet another antisemitic attack, part of a wave we’ve seen daily for nearly two years,” the EJA wrote in a post on X.

In a separate incident, three pro-Palestinian activists were arrested on Thursday after trying to force their way into a synagogue in Nice, southeastern France, during an informational meeting on aliyah, the process of Jews immigrating to Israel.

According to local reports, several individuals attempted to forcibly enter the place of worship, sparking violent clashes and insults that left a pregnant woman injured.

Shortly after the incident, law enforcement arrested two women in their forties and a man in his sixties, taking them into custody as part of an investigation into aggravated violence.

The charges involve attacks on a vulnerable person, actions carried out by a group, religious motivation, and public religious insults.

Local authorities strongly condemned the act and announced that police officers would remain stationed outside the synagogue for as long as necessary.

Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents have surged to alarming levels across Europe.

Jewish individuals have been facing a surge in hostility and targeted attacks, including vandalism of murals and businesses, as well as physical assaults.

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Iran’s Alliances With China, Russia Falter as Regime Faces Growing Isolation, Study Finds

Chinese Foreign Minister Wag Yi stands with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazeem Gharibabadi before a meeting regarding the Iranian nuclear issue at Diaoyutai State Guest House on March 14, 2025 in Beijing, China. Photo: Pool via REUTERS

As Iran continues to face major crises both at home and abroad, its ties to China and Russia are proving far weaker than they seem, leaving the regime to confront the fallout largely on its own, according to a new study.

The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an Israeli think tank, has released a report examining how the 12-day war with Israel in June exposed the limits of Iran’s alliances with China and Russia.

In the study, authors Raz Zimmt and Danny Citrinowicz note that both China and Russia favored cautious diplomacy over direct support at a time when the Iranian regime was most vulnerable.

“The policy of Moscow and Beijing, which consisted of fairly mild condemnations of the Israeli and US strikes in Iran, sparked criticism and disappointment in Tehran,” the report explains.

“It also reinforced the Iranian assessment that its reliance on Russia and China remains limited, particularly in the event of a military confrontation with Israel and the United States,” it continues.

Earlier this week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian traveled to Beijing, joining Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, as the three nations aim to project a united front against the West.

The high-profile gathering came after Pezeshkian and Putin held talks in China on Monday on the sidelines of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

During a joint press conference, the Iranian president hailed Tehran’s cooperation with Moscow as “highly valuable,” adding that continued implementation of their 20-year treaty signed earlier this year would further strengthen ties and expand collaboration.

Putin also noted that the relationship between the two countries is “growing increasingly friendly and expanding” amid mounting pressure and sanctions from Western countries.

According to Zimmt and Citrinowicz, Iran has little room to maneuver, even more so now as the regime faces the imminent threat of UN sanctions being reimposed due to efforts by Britain, France, and Germany, forcing it to rely on its fragile alliances with Russia and China.

“It is clear that for now, Iran has no viable alternative to continuing its political, economic, and security partnership, as limited as it may be, with Russia and China, especially given the escalating tensions between Tehran and Europe,” the paper explains.

“Likewise, Russia and China, who view Iran as a junior partner in a coalition against the West and the United States, have no real alternative to Tehran, and they are expected to continue the partnership as long as it serves their interests,” it adds.

The authors argue that China and Russia could readily sacrifice Iran to further their strategic goals, including strengthening ties with Washington.

The study comes just days after an Iranian official accused Russia without evidence of providing intelligence to Israel during the 12-day Middle Eastern war in June which allegedly helped the Jewish state target and destroy Iran’s air defense systems.

Mohammad Sadr, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council and close adviser to former President Mohammad Khatami, claimed Israel’s precise strikes on Iranian air defense systems were suspicious.

He noted Russia’s refusal to support Iran during the war, saying that Moscow had shown a “bias in favor of Israel” and that the recent conflict demonstrated the “strategic agreement with Russia is nonsense.”

“This war proved that the strategic alliance with Moscow is worthless,” Sadr said during an interview with BBC Persian, referring to the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.

“We must not think that Russia will come to Iran’s aid when the time comes,” he continued.

At the SCO summit in Tianjin earlier this week, Tehran also described its ties with China as “flourishing,” pointing to a strategic pact similar to the one it signed with Russia.

According to some reports, China may be helping Iran rebuild its decimated air defenses following the 12-day war with Israel.

China is the largest importer of Iranian oil, with nearly 90 percent of Iran’s crude and condensate exports going to Beijing. The two sides also recently signed a 25-year cooperation agreement, held joint naval drills, and continued to trade Iranian oil despite US sanctions.

“It should be noted that despite the 25-year cooperation agreement signed between Tehran and Beijing in March 2021, the partnership between the two countries remains very limited, and China does not provide solutions to most of Iran’s economic difficulties, including the need for infrastructure investment,” the INSS study explains.

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US Lawmakers Urge Trump to Restrict Visas for Iran’s President, Other Regime Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. Photo: Iran’s Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is urging President Donald Trump to block or sharply restrict visas for Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and other top Iranian officials traveling to New York this month for the United Nations General Assembly, warning that Tehran will use the global platform to disguise its escalating repression at home.

In a letter sent to Trump on Thursday, 40 members of Congress pointed to Iran’s recent human rights record, which includes nearly 1,500 executions in the past year, and accused Pezeshkian’s government of openly threatening to repeat the mass killings of dissidents that scarred the country in 1988.

“Immediately following the recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the Iranian regime escalated its widespread internal crackdown, arbitrarily arresting hundreds of ethnic minorities, civil society leaders, women’s rights activists, and others,” the lawmakers wrote. They described Iran’s leaders as “criminals” who “support terrorism” and “sow hatred and instability across the Middle East.”

The letter was signed by an unusually broad coalition of Republicans and Democrats, including House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (NY), as well as Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Deborah Ross (R-NC), and Val Hoyle (D-OR), underscoring how concern about Iran’s hostility toward the US and its allies continues to cut across party lines.

Drawing a distinction between the regime and the Iranian people who support democracy, the lawmakers asked Trump to make a strong statement against a country that US intelligence agencies have long labeled the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism.

“We respectfully urge you to restrict the Iranian delegation’s freedom of movement, and, to the extent possible, refrain from issuing visas to key delegation members, including for its President, Masoud Pezeshkian,” the letter stated.

It continued, “We urge you to take a strong stand against the Iranian regime’s ongoing support for terrorism and human rights abuses, in line with your dedication toward ‘Peace through Strength’ and the maximum pressure campaign against the regime. We look forward to working you to further
oppose the destructive and destabilizing influence of the government of Iran and support the
Iranian people on the world stage.”

The lawmakers’ request comes as the Trump administration weighs new restrictions on several UN delegations ahead of the annual gathering. According to a State Department memo obtained by the Associated Press, the US is considering limiting the movements of officials not just from Iran, but also from Sudan and Zimbabwe. The department is also considering limiting the movements of officials from Brazil, whose president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, traditionally opens the General Assembly.

The proposals also suggest that Iranian diplomats be barred from shopping at Costco or Sam’s Club without explicit permission from the State Department, according to the AP report. Diplomats from Iran have historically relied on those stores to buy affordable goods unavailable in their home country. By contrast, the memo indicates that delegates from Syria may be granted a waiver, reflecting shifting US priorities in the region.

Under the UN Headquarters Agreement, the US is obligated to grant visas to foreign officials attending UN functions. But successive administrations have imposed restrictions on the travel of adversarial delegations, typically confining them to Manhattan and surrounding boroughs. The latest proposals would go further, potentially requiring advance State Department approval for movements and limiting access to certain businesses.

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