Israel has proposed reviving the Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline to divert oil cargo away from the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb in the Red Sea. The war between Saudi Arabia and the Ansar Allah Houthis continues to disrupt oil exports, particularly for Saudi Arabia, at the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Saudi Arabia has been using its Yanbu port, which has a long pipeline exporting its own oil. The plan proposes a new pipeline from Saudi Arabia that will join its Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline in the Red Sea via Jordan.  

According to reports in Haaretz and other outlets, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered Israeli military assistance to help Saudi Arabia fight the Iran-backed Houthis, viewing it as a potential pathway toward normalisation.  Fearing a backlash, Mohammed Bin Salman rejected the offer.

Israel is desperate to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia. Any formal partnership between Saudi Arabia and Israel could be seen as an act of capitulation by Bin Salman and an achievement for Israel, particularly for Benjamin Netanyahu. Notwithstanding Bin Salman’s rejection of Israeli advances, Netanyahu continues to court Saudi attention. Israel has pitched to the US and the Gulf nations the idea of using the Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline as a land bridge for Gulf oil exports. Netanyahu and his Energy Minister, Eli Cohen, are championing the plan to revive an old oil pipeline that runs from the port city of Eilat to Ashkelon.

The Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline was originally built in 1968........

© Middle East Monitor