There has always been interest in a link between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, with most of the early efforts directed toward a link from the Nile to the Red Sea. The idea dates back to the times of the ancient Egyptians.
In the 19th Century BC the Egyptian dug a canal that linked the Nile with the north edge of the Red Sea, marking the first attempt to link the two seas. When the Red Sea receded, King Necho II (610-595 BC) sought to clean the canal and reconnect it with the Red Sea. However, the Persian invasion of Egypt stopped the project.
Over the years the canal was extended, abandoned, and rebuilt again. The Persian ruler, Darius I (522-486 BC), re-launched the canal project. The canal was extended to the Red Sea by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC). It was again abandoned during the early Roman rule and rebuilt again by Trojan (98-117 AD) and over the next several centuries was abandoned and sometimes dredged for various purposes.
When the Arabs conquered Egypt the canal was already destroyed. Commander Amr Ibn Al-As rebuilt the canal giving it the name of “The Canal of the Leader of the Faithful”. However, Caliph Omar ibn Al-Khattab ordered that it should not be connected with the Mediterranean, fearing it could pose a threat to the safety and security of Egypt and the Muslim nation in general. Caliph Omar was concerned that the presence of such canal would increase foreign ambitions on Egypt. In 770 AD the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur ordered the closure of the canal permanently to cut off supplies to insurgents located in the Delta.
Work finally began on the present canal in 1854 when the Egyptian ruler, Pasha Said, issued a decree for the project under the supervision of French engineer, Ferdinand De Lesseps. The canal was built over the next 37 years with a length of 195 kilometers. The Suez Canal Company (Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez) was set up in 1858 to run the canal.
In 1882 the British occupied Egypt and controlled the Suez Canal with the help of De Lesseps who betrayed the Egyptians. What Caliph Omar had expected had happened: The canal played an important role in facilitating and extending European colonization of the region.
This historic background is important to better understand the situation, especially now that Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have agreed to construct a canal between the Red Sea and Dead Sea to be called the Two Seas Canal.
Envisaged as a future substitute waterway for the Suez Canal, the Red-Dead Sea Canal entails financial and environmental threats that render it both a doomed and dangerous project. Furthermore, it would not achieve its primary objective that is undermining the Egyptian economy.
The length of the proposed canal is 300 kilometers — twice the length of the Suez Canal. In its initial stage it would require from $50 to $60 billion or even more. The geography of the area on which the canal is to be built is not that favorable which means there would be need for open canals, tunnels and pipes to link the two seas thus extending the time required for ships to travel the distance.
Even if Israel took the adventure and agreed to bear the economic and maritime threats, economists say competition would always be in favor of the Suez Canal because it is less costly, more economical and profitable.
The environmental and other serious threats posed by the Red-Dead Sea Canal would in the end endanger the very existence of the Palestinian state. This would be the theme of my next article.
