shipping israel
© AFP/Getty ImagesAn Israeli startup company is among several other firms setting up land routes through Arab states into Israel
An Israeli company is among the first ever to establish commercial land routes through West Asian countries - including Gulf Arab states - in order to "bypass the Houthi-menaced Red Sea," Bloomberg reported on 2 February.

Trucknet Enterprise Ltd, an Israeli software startup, is transporting food, plastics, chemicals, and electrical appliances from Emirati and Bahraini ports into Israel and Europe via Saudi Arabia and Jordan, according to firm's Chief Executive Officer Hanan Fridman.

Hapag Lloyd AG - a German shipping company which, along with others, suspended Red Sea journeys in fear of Yemen - is involved in the initiative, and "is looking to link Dubai's Jebel Ali and two eastern Saudi ports with Jeddah on the west coast," Bloomberg said, adding that "another of its options connects Jebel Ali with Jordan."


Comment: Germany really is going all out to facilitate the genocide.


"The routes offer an immediate solution to shipments trying to avoid the Houthi hot zone around the Bab al-Mandeb strait in the southern Red Sea, where months of missile and drone attacks have forced many commercial vessels to divert to a longer route around Africa."


Hapag Lloyd AG spokesman Nils Haupt said the land routes aim to serve as a temporary fix for limited amounts of cargo.

He added that the routes are slow and difficult, but may help boost commerce through the Arab ports as Yemeni pro-Palestine operations in the Red Sea continue.

"The land bridge, while carrying a not-insignificant quantity of traffic, will remain a niche solution for shipments specifically to Israel," said Chris Rogers of the US-based S&P Global Inc market intelligence company.

According to Fridman, pilot runs were carried out in November, and the first shipments were sent through the routes in December. Ten trucks went through that month, Hebrew news outlet Walla reported on Thursday.

Video footage released by Israeli Channel 13 this week shows Arab truck drivers being welcomed into Israel via the King Hussein bridge on the Jordanian-Israeli border.

According to Channel 13, cargo ships arrive and unload in the UAE. The trucks then carry the goods from Abu Dhabi, crossing into Saudi Arabia through the Emirati Route 62 and Saudi Route 65 highways until they reach Jordan. Once in Jordan, they enter Israel via the Jordan River Crossing, and move on to Haifa.

The Armed Forces of the Yemeni Sanaa government have continued to carry out naval operations against Israeli-linked vessels or ships bound for Israeli ports.

With the exception of ships belonging to the US and UK - who bombarded Yemen numerous times last month - many vessels have safely transited the Red Sea by broadcasting "No relation to Israel" on their identification systems, according to Yemeni authorities. Some of these vessels have been Saudi.

"Gulf Cooperation Council states may be hesitant to promote the route as the Houthis have not yet threatened UAE or Saudi maritime assets," S&P analysts were quoted as saying.