Energy Minister Eli Cohen: Israel can be home to oil pipeline linking Gulf to Europe

Gulf countries’ dependence on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz could be significantly reduced by a pipeline linking the Gulf to Europe via Israel, says Energy Minister Eli Cohen, which would allow them also to bypass Red Sea shipping disruptions.

“The Gulf countries do not want to be dependent on either Iran or the Houthis [in Yemen] when it comes to their oil exports, which are their primary source of income,” Cohen tells Reuters in an interview in Jerusalem. “If you create a land route, you bypass both Iran and the Houthis… The best route is through the State of Israel.”

Israel, Cohen says, already has existing infrastructure with a pipeline between its Red Sea city of Eilat and the southern Mediterranean port city of Ashkelon, but infrastructure would be needed to connect Arab countries if they were willing.

Cohen says he has suggested to the US a 700-kilometer (435-mile) pipeline that could run from Saudi Arabia to Eilat. From there, oil could pass through the Trans Israel Pipeline to Ashkelon, and on to oil tankers to Europe.