Imagine leaving Saudi Arabia by road and reaching Egypt in just half an hour. Yes, that is the idea behind linking the two countries through the planned causeway. That really is going to be a great experience — crossing into another continent in record time.
However, the idea behind this causeway is more than promotion of tourism. It has huge strategic, geographical and political implications that surpass the mere idea of spending holidays in Sharm El-Shiekh. The idea of connecting Asia with Africa via a bridge may be old but the credit for reviving this idea and giving it a new impetus goes to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.
The initial idea was to construct a 50-km bridge to connect Tabuk by the north of the Kingdom to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. It was proposed to reduce the travel time between the two countries. Now with the new resolve to build the bridge, excitement could be sensed on both sides.
The strategic location of the bridge increases its significance manifold. It would directly pass through one of the major global sailing routes — the one connecting the Zionist regime with the rest of the world through the Red Sea. Back in 2006, the Israeli media outlets were abuzz with discussions about the bridge and how it would pose a strategic threat to Israel’s existence. With the construction of the bridge, Israel will no longer be in a position to brag about its strategic importance as a point connecting the Arabs of Africa to the Arabs of Asia. There will no longer will any need to travel through Israeli sea or dry ports to pass from Africa to Asia. It will be a huge strategic loss to Israel and a major victory for other countries in the region. A guest (presumably some commentator) on France24 was quoted as saying, “How come they did not complete this idea before?” as reported by Masrawi, an Egyptian online news website.
The construction of this bridge will help ease the flow of traffic, cars and trucks, between the two continents and will also host train tracks, power and communication lines as well. It is going to be a win-win situation for the entire region.
In addition to all the benefits mentioned above, Muslims from Africa will have a cheaper access to the holy lands. We all hope that work on the project would take off soon. It is a huge project and is sure going to generate huge debate, which is part of such undertakings.
