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The Ben Gurion Canal will be built by expelling Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Photo/tnpscthervupettagam.com
GAZA – Israel reportedly has big plans to build a canal connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, called the Ben Gurion Canal.
This project is considered to be one of the main motives behind Israel's brutal attacks on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Currently Israel has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians and destroyed 85% of civilian infrastructure.
What exactly is the Ben Gurion Canal and why is Gaza important to Israel?
History and Plans of the Ben Gurion Canal
The Ben Gurion Canal is an old idea that dates back to the 1960s, when Israel sought an alternative to the Suez Canal, Egypt's artificial waterway that offered a direct route between Europe and Asia.
The Suez Canal is vital for global trade and security, but it is also vulnerable to conflict and crisis.
In 1956, Israel, Britain, and France launched the Tripartite Aggression, a military invasion of Egypt, after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. Even though the invasion failed, Israel still wants access to the strategic waterway.
The name Ben Gurion Canal refers to Israel's founder, David Ben-Gurion, who was known as a cruel Zionist leader responsible for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their land.
The Ben Gurion Canal is planned to cross the Negev Desert, which Israel controls, from the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, east of the Red Sea sticking out to the southern tip of Israel and southwest of Jordan, to the Eastern Mediterranean coast.
The route is more than 100 km longer than the Suez Canal, but is expected to reduce costs and travel times for ships sailing between Europe and Asia.
The Ben Gurion Canal project faced many challenges, both technical and political. Technically, this project requires very large funds, estimated at USD 100 billion, and also faces environmental problems, such as the impact on the Dead Sea and Red Sea ecosystems.