Israel, Hamas conflict shackles rapprochement, including implementation of IMEC, says expert

The first-of-its-kind economic corridor is touted to be a historic initiative on cooperation on connectivity and infrastructure involving India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, EU, France, Italy, Germany and the US, writes ETV Bharat's Chandrakala Choudhury.

New Delhi: After US President Joe Biden hinted that one of the reasons behind the Hamas militant attack on Israel was the recently announced India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, it has raised questions in the international community, especially for India. The first-of-its-kind economic corridor is touted to be a historic initiative on cooperation on connectivity and infrastructure involving India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, EU, France, Italy, Germany and the US.

Yet, US President Joe Biden said that the reason for the Hamas attack on Israel could be this economic corridor. Speaking to ETV Bharat, India's former ambassador Anil Trigunayat, who has served in the missions in Sweden, Nigeria, Libya and Jordan, said, "Although President Biden mentioned that it was his hunch, which could be based on some deductive argument that Hamas may have carried out terror strikes against Israel to derail the IMEC. In fact, the impending normalisation of ties between Riyadh and Tel Aviv via IMEC or Abraham Accords could have been a major setback for the Palestinian cause, which has been on the Arabic back burner as it is".

"Hence, this could be a more prominent cause and the ongoing war has recharged the Arab street and shackled the rapprochement, including the implementation of IMEC and other projects, with Israeli participation in the short run," Trigunayat said.

This is the second time in less than a week that President Biden has mentioned the IMEC as a potential reason for the deadliest attack by Hamas. The IMEC is being seen as an alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is crucial for countries like India, especially in the face of growing Chinese belligerence.

Recently, Israel's ambassador to India Naor Gilon said that the attack on Israel was an attempt to hamper the relations between Saudi Arabia, Israel and other Gulf nations. He also noted that the attack was aimed at disrupting the relations established by the Abraham Accords and the I2U2 grouping that led to the increase of communication between Israel and the Gulf countries. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements on Arab-Israeli normalisation signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on September 15, 2020.