Israel: Netanyahu announces ambitious plan for 'communications corridor'

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced, Sunday, the creation of an international communications corridor along the Europe Asia Pipeline Co. (EAPC) pipeline between the towns of Eilat and Ashkelon.

"Today we are reaping more fruit of the historic Abraham Accords that we brought. We will connect fiber optic cables from Asia, Arab nations, from Eilat to Ashkelon and the rest of the world,” stated Netanyahu.

The planned corridor will start with laying fiber-optic cables through the Negev desert, which will then allow digital data to be transferred between Asian countries, especially Abraham Accords countries, to Europe via Israel.

According to Netanyahu, the corridor “will attract investors and turn Israel into a global communications center. This will jump-start the Israeli economy."

"This is certainly major news, mainly for the south and the cities of the periphery,” Karhi said.

The announcement compared the communications corridor to the historical Spice Routes, which connected the East with the West in antiquity through a network of trade routes. The politicians said that the plan will turn the State of Israel into a vital route of the world, through which knowledge will pass along the fiber optic cables that are planned to link Asia and Europe.

In continuation of the Abraham Accords, investments were led by international companies. Under the outline, communications companies will be able to use the cables, at an equal price, to allow competition alongside the international communications corridor, and is promised to push the Israeli economy to new peaks. Server farms will also need to be constructed, so in addition to a temporary jobs boost, the project will see permanent positions in the area.