[News] Yemen's dagger slices through 'normalization'

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 Yemen's dagger slices through 'normalization'

Yemen’s attacks on Israel’s vital shipping routes has compelled the
occupation state to seek an alternative land corridor via Saudi Arabia, the
UAE and Jordan, whose legitimacy is being corroded on the Arab street,
while Sanaa's is on the rise.

Mohamad Hasan Sweidan
<https://new.thecradle.co/authors/mohamad-hasan-sweidan> -
https://new.thecradle.co/articles/yemens-dagger-slices-through-normalization

DEC 20, 2023
Photo Credit: The Cradle

In early December, Israeli media broke the news of an agreement to
establish a land bridge between the port of Dubai and the occupied port of
Haifa. The reports claim this strategic accord aims to circumvent the
growing Yemeni threat to close vital sea lanes to vessels associated with
and/or destined for Israeli ports.

Just a fortnight later, the Israeli *Walla*
<https://cars.walla.co.il/item/3629150> website revealed that the first
shipment, originating from Dubai and traversing the newly established land
corridor encompassing the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel, had
arrived at Israeli ports.

In safeguarding and supporting Israel, these three Arab states have
reaffirmed their essential role in protecting and defending the occupation
state, enabling it to continue its atrocities against the Palestinians.
Map of the Israel-Gulf land bridge project

*Yemen’s Red Sea blockade on Israel *

On 15 November, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of Yemen's Ansarallah
movement, declared a blockade
<https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/512232.aspx> on Israeli ships passing
through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This proclamation marked
the initiation of a naval conflict with Israel in solidarity with Gaza,
heralding a new phase of confrontation that Israel had anticipated for
several years
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200629-israels-ambitions-in-south-yemen-increase-risk-of-conflict-with-houthis/>
.

Since 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, apprehensive of
Ansarallah's presence along the Red Sea coast, asserted
<https://sanaacenter.org/the-yemen-review/jan-feb-2023/19711> Tel Aviv’s
commitment to any international effort preventing the closure of shipping
routes in the region.

A 2021 report published by Israel's National Security Research Center
states that "the possibility of the Houthis attacking ships in shipping
lanes along the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden
poses a tangible threat to Israeli national security."

The same report states that Yemenis may in the future intercept Israeli
ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in order to pressure Israel
to change certain policies.

Four days after Houthi’s promise to target Israeli vessels, Yemeni forces
seized
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/19/yemens-houthi-rebels-seize-cargo-ship-in-red-sea-israel-blames-iran>
a
transport ship with ties to Israeli tycoon Avraham Ongar, one of the
country's wealthiest magnates. Ansarallah-aligned military spokesman Yahya
Saree justified the seizure as a response to “heinous acts against our
Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank,” adding:

“If the international community is concerned about regional security and
stability, rather than expanding the conflict, it should put an end to
Israel’s aggression against Gaza."

On 12 December, Yemen launched a missile strike on a Norwegian oil ship
destined for Israel's Ashdod Port in January. Saree explained that the
targeting followed the crew's refusal to heed warnings and announced the
continuation of ship blockades until Israel permitted essential aid into
Gaza. The Pentagon confirmed
<https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/houthi-attacks-on-vessels-off-yemen-require-intl-solution-pentagon/3080949>
the
interception of Yemeni drones targeting Israeli ships, and called for an
international solution to an “international problem.”

*Bab al-Mandeb’s strategic significance *

The Bab al-Mandab Strait serves as a crucial trade route connecting the
Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, with an annual value of approximately $700
billion <https://sanaacenter.org/the-yemen-review/jan-feb-2023/19711>. This
vital waterway sees 4 million barrels of oil passing through daily,
representing 10 percent
<https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/oil/121123-shippers-avoiding-red-sea-transits-after-attacks-watching-suez-canal-traffic#:~:text=Shippers%20avoiding%20Red%20Sea%20transits%20after%20attacks%2C%20watching%20Suez%20Canal%20traffic,-Author%20Claudia%20Carpenter&text=Shippers%20are%20diverting%20from%20Middle,shippers%20and%20industry%20have%20warned.>
of global maritime trade and supporting the flow of 25,000 ships.

Recent figures <https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61025> for
the first half of 2023 show that the Bab al-Mandab handles quantities of
crude oil, condensate, and petroleum products equivalent to those passing
through the Suez Canal. Similarly, the volume of liquefied natural gas
(LNG) passing through the strait rivals that of the Suez, which is
approximately 4 billion cubic feet of gas per day.

Freightos, an Israeli shipping company, reported
<https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-ships-forced-reroute-houthi-threats-intensify>
a
notable 9-14 percent increase in shipping costs from China to the Israeli
port of Ashdod in the last two weeks of October. Judah Levin, head of
research at Freightos, told the Israeli newspaper *Globes *that the
outbreak of war "is already affecting all goods reaching Israel from China,
the prices of which have started to rise in the past few weeks."

The significance of this rise comes from the fact that China is currently
Israel's largest trading partner by sea, with sea-borne cargo from China
amounting to 20 percent of Israel's total maritime imports.

*‘Axis of Normalization’ comes to the rescue *

Due to Sanaa’s bold move, the perceived threat to Israeli shipping in the
Bab al-Mandab has prompted the occupation state to explore alternative
routes for importing and exporting goods. Unsurprisingly, the UAE, the Arab
county that spearheaded the Abraham Accords' normalization thrust with
Israel, has stepped in to assist in overcoming the Yemeni obstacle.
Map of the alternative shipping route to avoid the Red Sea

According to reports from Israeli media, the collaborative effort between
the UAE and Israel to set up a land bridge connecting the port of Dubai to
Haifa, pass through Saudi Arabia and Jordan. However, Amman has since denied
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231217-jordan-denies-existence-of-gulf-land-bridge-to-israel-to-bypass-houthis/>
these
reports, claiming them to be “absolutely false.”

By mid-December, goods began flowing through this corridor, with *Walla*
reporting the arrival of ten trucks from Dubai to the port of Haifa in
recent days. There is no doubt that this corridor offers a strategic
solution, allowing ships bound for Israel to bypass the Yemeni threat.

However, its successful implementation only goes to show the willingness of
Saudi Arabia and Jordan to be integral parts of this strategic initiative –
a move that could further delegitimize their rulers with the overwhelmingly
pro-Palestine Arab street. Notably, such a land corridor only requires
agreements between the involved parties, while leveraging existing
international routes.

The land bridge not only offers an alternative for Chinese ships which
transport one-fifth of Israeli sea-borne imports, but also reduces the
lengthy journey around the south and west of Africa to reach the Strait of
Gibraltar from 31 days to 19 days
<https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/houthi-ship-attacks-are-affecting-red-sea-trade-routes>
.

*Counting the costs *

The land route connecting Dubai and Haifa spans 2550 km, with trucks
requiring approximately four days to traverse it – a shorter duration
compared to ships navigating the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. While the
transportation cost per kilometer is slightly higher than the Red Sea
route, it is significantly lower than the current cost of shipping through
the Strait of Gibraltar.

Despite the cargo capacity limitations of the land corridor (around 350
trucks per day) compared to shipping vessels, it offers expedited transit
from Dubai to Europe, saving around 10 transportation days over the Suez
Canal route.

But while the corridor might be adequate for meeting Israel’s immediate
needs amid Yemeni threats, it falls short of providing a complete
alternative
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231105-an-alternative-to-the-suez-canal-is-central-to-israels-genocide-of-the-palestinians/>
for sea routes to Europe. This development suggests that Israel could
potentially withdraw from maritime shipping, posing a challenge to Egypt
and the Suez Canal.

Further down the line, it is possible that the land corridor may also
attract a number of Asian and European states. Egypt, it must be
emphasized, begins to lose out as soon as the Dubai-Haifa land route is
adopted, as the vessels that circumvent the Red Sea also naturally bypass
the Suez route.

However, the greater threat to Egypt's economic interests lies in the
prospect of future railway links connecting Dubai with the occupation
state, significantly enhancing shipping capacity and reducing costs and
transit times.

*Yemen stands against Israel *

As the land corridor gains traction, reports suggest that risk management
firm Ambrey has advised
<https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ambrey-expands-advisory-for-israel-linked-vessels-amid-red-sea-attacks>
ship
owners to assess vessels with Israeli links due to potential mobility
challenges. Nevertheless, the commencement of the land corridor stands as a
boon for the occupation state and its businessmen by eliminating the need
to utilize the Red Sea route.

It should be noted that the adoption of the land corridor opens avenues for
Israel to connect with other international corridors through the UAE, Saudi
Arabia, and Jordan. The North-South corridor
<https://new.thecradle.co/articles/iran-steps-up-delivery-of-goods-to-russia-via-north-south-corridor>
connecting Russia, Iran and India, was linked to Saudi Arabia
<https://new.thecradle.co/articles-id/7227> this year, which can funnel
those goods on to Israel now.

That too applies to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a
cornerstone of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which transports
goods to and from China through the Pakistani port of Gwadar. From Gwadar,
goods travel to UAE ports and then, potentially, through the land corridor
to Israel. In this way, the three Arab states, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and
Jordan, can link Israel to other key international corridors – unless Iran
and Pakistan decide to throw a wrench in those works.

What all this makes clear, however, is that Yemen's entry into the
frontline battle against Israel and in support of Palestine has
reverberated globally. The impoverished nation, despite facing years of
conflict, now poses a significant and growing threat to Israel's national
security and supply lines through its actions in the Bab al-Mandab.

By aligning its maritime attacks to the cessation of Tel Aviv's horrifying
siege of Gaza, Ansarallah has forced the world to pay greater attention to
the magnitude of Israel's unprecedented military campaign against
Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Conversely, the collaborative moves by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to
open up a land bridge to Haifa underscores their preference to pander to
Israel over buttressing Arab and Muslim solidarity.
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