The Threatening Canal

Last week we celebrated the 53rd anniversary of Suez Canal nationalization on the 26th of July. The nationalization showed us how important and valuable the Suez Canal is after all it was among the reasons that led to the Suez war in the 1956. I do not need to speak about its strategic and economic importance in Egypt and how Egypt was blessed and cursed at the same because of it yet I will speak about the danger this international vital canal is facing currently.

I won’t to speak about the current global recession and its negative impact on trade movement through the canal. I do not need to speak about the Somali piracy that is threatening our canal as now ships and Yachats think twice before passing by the red sea without enough protection either.

I will speak about the real danger that is threatening the Suez Canal or rather the red sea , or Egyptian part of the red sea : The two seas canal.  The proposed Two Seas Canal would run from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and provide electricity and potable water to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority as it is said.

The two seas canal is the love child of Israel , the Palestinian authority and the Jordanian regime which I am amazed  at how its people accept this disgusting dangerous deal so peacefully.  The idea of such project is as old as the Suez Canal , British William Alan thought about it in 1855 as an alternative for the Suez Canal which was under the French control , for some reason the project did not work then “May be because the lack of cheap labor” still the idea did not die , many others though about it including Theodor Herzl who mentioned in it in his novel Altneuland/ The old new land.

I do not know how the Israelis really think as this project is like an atomic bomb to the environment in this very special unique area from the ecological perspective. Of course I know how they think economically and strategically but to ignore the negative effects of such project which include turning the region in to a big massive earthquake region amazes me on how the Israelis think , they will be harmed as much as we do.

Besides making the area an earthquake zone the marine life including the wonderful coral reef of the red sea will be in a huge danger not to mention the dead sea in its own way regardless of the Israelis claim which they want the Jordanians to believe.

I do not know how the Palestinians and Jordanians think , especially the Jordanians as they are independent real state. Do the Jordanian People approve this canal ??? I am not speaking about their king who will say yes to whatever Israel and America say. I am speaking about the people themselves !!  Do they trust the Israeli government that much ?? This is even worse than exporting gas to Israel

Now the Jordanian media came in the last couple of weeks saying nonsense that our experts are approving that love child of their regime and the Israelis despite the the Egyptian refusal and concerns about this project has been known to the world since the agreement in 2005. Still do not know if the Jordanian media had highlighted the direct and clear statements of Admiral Ahmed Fadel , the Chairman of the Suez Canal authority or not regarding the two seas canal or not.

The new proposed Canal, if constructed, will harm the environment in the Gulf of Aqaba as the  [strong] water stream coming out from the pipeline will threaten the environment in the Ras Mohamed zone

The admiral had said so in the press conference held celebrating the 53th anniversary Suez Canal nationalization , of course at last someone official from the government in Egypt had the balls to criticize the project unlike our prime minister who doest see a problem or a threat from the Canal and minister Mofid Shahab who does not see any negative effects on the Suez Canal from its side. Of course I must hint out that the statements of both Nazif and Shahab were before the statements of Admiral Fadel. Also we should not forget that Nazif once has said that there was no danger from the Somali pirates on the Suez Canal and Shahab has said that Gamal Mubarak won’t inherit the rule of Egypt !!!

The Egyptian experts are divided between those who see that it won’t affect the Suez Canal movement and those who see it it WILL affect the Suez Canal movement yet they agreed that its ecological effects can’t be ignored. The first  team say that it won’t affect our canal simply because the ships will take more time to reach from the dead than to reach to the Mediterranean , plus from the commercial point unloading the cargos in Israel using its highways to Haifa will take too much not to mention the nature of the dead sea will allow certain ships to go in to it. The other team believes otherwise after all this canal was meant to be alternative for the Suez Canal saying that this is the long goal of Israel especially there is a rumor that Israel is going to build another canal from Dead sea to Haifa.

There are other reasons which make us in Egypt refuse this project totally.

These reasons are :

• The canal will increase seismic activity in the region.
• It will provide Israel with water for cooling its nuclear reactor near Dimona
• It will turn the Negev Desert in to a settlement area 
• It will increase the salinity of wells.

Besides other reasons related to the national security of Egypt and the fact that a possible war with Israel can happen anytime especially that we got people in the current Israeli cabinet calling for bombing our high dam with nukes !!!

It is remarkable how the International bank agrees to study  this project despite the refusal of the UN for it years ago. I must mention that  the international Bank refused to fund the high dam in 1956. Of course the international bank or rather the west finds this a great opportunity to push the neutralization of relations between the Arabs and Israelis , they wish that it will connect more than two seas regardless of destroying a whole eco-system in the red sea.

If the Jordanians want this canal so much then they should apologize for protesting in front our embassy from 6 months ago because of Gaza war.

I know one thing , I miss both Nasser and Sadat.

Sources :

• Der Speigel
• Wikipedia
• Daily News Egypt

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Arab,Israel,Media,Palestine,National Security,Suez War,Politics,Negev,Red Sea,Dead Sea,Suez Canal,Two seas canal,Mideast,Middle East,Ecology,Economy,Nature