How Israel's dream of being the Middle East's trade hub is unravelling

NEWS SUMMARY

Gulf states and Turkey are developing rival trade routes bypassing Israel, including reviving the Hejaz railway and a new UAE-Syria-Iraq corridor, following the effective collapse of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) at its Israeli end. These initiatives reflect a regional shift towards trade routes that exclude Israel, driven by the Gaza war and Saudi Arabia's strategic goal to become an indispensable transit hub.

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Submitted by Ahmed Alqarout on Wed, 07/22/2026 - 15:45 Gulf powers are working out new corridors that would bypass the need to engage with Tel Aviv A ship docks at the Emirati port of Jebel Ali on 18 June 2020 (Karim Sahib/AFP) On The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) has died at its Israeli end. Gulf states and their allies are now racing to build rival lines.

How Israel's dream of being the Middle East's trade hub is unravelling

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