VOIWORLD
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has stated that he believes one of the reasons Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel was the ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. The passage that will connect the entire region via a railway network was recently announced during the G-20 Summit in New Delhi.
At a joint press conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Biden told reporters that his diagnosis is based on instinct and that he does not have any proof. “I’m convinced one of the reasons Hamas attacked when they did, and I have no proof of this, just as 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,” Biden said. This is the second time in less than a week that Biden has mentioned the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) as a potential reason for the terrorist attack by Hamas.
On the sidelines of the G20 conference in September, the presidents of the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union jointly unveiled the new economic corridor, which many perceive as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. An eastern corridor connects India to the Gulf area, and a northern corridor connects the Gulf region to Europe.
Biden stated that in recent weeks, he has spoken with leaders throughout the region, including King Abdullah of Jordan, President Sisi of Egypt, President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, about the need to work towards greater integration for Israel while insisting that the aspirations of the Palestinian people will be part of that future as well.
Israel launched a massive counter-offensive against Hamas earlier this month, following the terrorist organisation’s unparalleled assault on October 7 that killed over 1,400 people.
