Cohen Touts Israel Oil Route to Bypass Hormuz

Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Gulf oil exporters could reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea routes by moving crude through a land corridor to Israel and onward to Europe. He said a safe route would connect Saudi Arabia to Eilat, use Israel's existing Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline, and ship from the Mediterranean to European markets, while additional infrastructure and regional consent would still be needed. Current and earlier reports describe variants of the plan, including Saudi, Jordanian, Eilat, Ashkelon and Haifa routes, with one account putting the corridor at about $10 billion. Cohen framed the idea as a strategic answer to Iranian and Houthi pressure on maritime trade, strengthening Israel's role as an energy bridge between the Gulf and Europe.