IMRA - Chinese ownership of Eilat-Tel Aviv Rail as Strategic Decision

Dr. Aaron Lerner..
IMRA..
Weekly Commentary..
05 January '12..



The Government of Israel is considering three options for the Eilat-Tel Aviv rail:

1. Israel Government financed project.
2. Private sector project
3. Chinese Government project

Given recent developments in the region, the choice of the third option should be a no brainer.

Let’s put aside the economic considerations, though the odds are good that those numbers would probably also end up favoring the Chinese option, and consider the ramifications of the Eilat-Tel Aviv rail being the property of the Government of China.

The Eilat-Tel Aviv line is to be both a passenger and a freight line.

In fact, the Chinese plan to integrate the line into the worldwide Chinese shipping network with the cross-Israel line substituting for the Suez Canal.

How would Chinese ownership change Israel’s future?

Some rhetorical questions:

1. What Arab country would dare to attack a Chinese transportation facility?

2. What Arab country would dare to interfere with the movement of ships carrying cargo either to or from a Chinese transport line?

3. What international body could vote to impose sanctions impacting the performance of an integral element of the worldwide Chinese shipping network?

And that’s the point. They are indeed rhetorical questions.

We live in a region in which we have no idea as to who or what will share our borders in the months, years and decades to come. It is also world in which there is a real possibility of radical changes in the coming decades in the global balance of power and the attitudes of the global giants .

Facing all of this uncertainty, Israel has every reason to reach out to the Chinese and accept their offer for the Eilat-Tel Aviv rail project.

The sooner the Government of China has a vested interest in the continuous functioning of sea lanes serving Israel and of an Eilat-Tel Aviv rail line the better.

Link:http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=55198


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