Hamas Attack Possibly Aimed At Hindering Ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, Says US President Biden
Author: Kamal Kumar
Thu, 26 Oct 2023 01:09 PM (IST)
Source:JND
President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, on Thursday, termed the announcement of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) during the G-20 summit in New Delhi earlier this year as one of the key reasons behind Hamas’s brutal October 7 on Israel. Underscoring the significance of the ambitious rail, shipping and road connectivity project, he said that his instincts tell him, that disrupting the multi-country initiative was one of Hamas’s motives.
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His comments came as Israel has launched a limited ground incursion into Gaza before the actual ground invasion begins. The counter-offensive from the Jewish nation follows an air-land-sea attack by Hamas on its cities and towns, which killed more than 1,500 Israelis. In retaliation, Israel has launched massive airstrikes targeting Hamas launchpads, which have claimed at least 5,000 Palestinian lives.
Addressing a joint presser with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is visiting the US, Biden said that he does not have proof to support his statement but his instincts are pointing in the direction of this analysis.
“I’m convinced one of the reasons Hamas attacked when they did, and I have no proof of this, just my instinct tells me, is because of the progress we were making towards regional integration for Israel, and regional integration overall. We can’t leave that work behind,” he said.
Interestingly, this is the second time in a week itself that Biden tried to link the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) as a probable cause behind the attack.
The leaders of the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union jointly announced the proposal for building an ambitious economic corridor to connect India, the Middle East and Europe during the G20 summit in September in New Delhi. Seen as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative the corridor encompasses an eastern route linking India to the Gulf region and a northern route connecting the Gulf region to Europe.
