On Wednesday (25th October) US President Joe Biden said that he is “convinced” that one of the reasons behind the Palestinian Islamist terrorist group Hamas’s attack on Israel was the announcement of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) at the G-20 summit held in New Delhi in September. President Biden, however, made it clear that his opinion is based on instinct and that he has no proof.
The landmark India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) will bring together India, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, France, Italy, Germany, and the United States in a historic effort to cooperate on connectivity and infrastructure.
During a joint media statement alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday, President Biden said, “I’m convinced one of the reasons Hamas attacked when they did — and I have no proof of this; just my instinct tells me — is because of the progress we were making towards regional integration for Israel and regional integration overall. And we can’t leave that work behind.”
Earlier, on 20 October, the US President had mentioned that IMEEC is one of the reasons why Hamas terrorists launched a brutal offensive against Israel.
During a media interaction on 20 October, Biden said, “The United States and our partners across the region are working to build a better future for the Middle East, one where the Middle East is more stable, better connected to its neighbours, and — through innovative projects like the India-Middle East-Europe rail corridor that I announced this year at the summit of the world’s biggest economies. More predictable markets, more employment, less rage, less grievances, less war when connected. It benefits the people — it would benefit the people of the Middle East, and it would benefit us.”
On the sidelines of the G20 summit in September, the leaders of the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union jointly announced the new economic corridor. The IMEEC is seen as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) aims to boost economic development and growth by connecting two continents (Asia and Europe) through new connectivity corridors.
IMEEC work begins amid Hamas Israel war
Notably, under the IMEEC, the eastern corridor connects India to the Gulf region, and a northern corridor connects the Gulf region to Europe.
Amid the Hamas Isreal war, the Indian government on October 23, initiated the development of the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) at an estimated cost of Rs 3.5 lakh crore.
IMEEC work begins with 3.5 lakh crore railways plan to link 8 ports on west coast https://t.co/89dtbNKbtU
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) October 22, 2023
In this connection, the finance minister mentioned, “IMEEC is India’s initiative, and this project is focused on the long term, with a significant impact. Short-term disruptions may raise concerns, but the nation will overcome them.” Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav stated that the country will increase its investments to enhance connectivity to the eight ports, aiming to enable the transportation of goods to these ports from any part of the country within 36 hours, thus facilitating efficient access to IMEEC.
Isreal Hamas war
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023. The conflict started when Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, launched a series of attacks from the Gaza Strip into bordering areas of Israel. The attacks killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, including over 300 members of the Israel Defense Forces.
After the attack by Hamas, Israel launched a counter-attack on Gaza last week. Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported that over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the counter-offensive.
