India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, IMEEC; Biden Reportedly Claims; Possible Cause Of The Hamas Attack.
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In a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden made a suggestion that the cause of Israel-Hamas war i.e. recent October 7th Hamas attack on Israel may have been related to the recent developments of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor; IMEEC, which connect the region via ports, roads, and railways.
“I’m confident that one of the reasons Hamas carried out the attack was the progress we’ve been making towards regional integration and overall economic unification, especially concerning Israel,” “I’m confident that one of the reasons Hamas carried out the attack was the progress we’ve been making towards regional integration and overall economic unification, especially concerning Israel,” Biden told reporters. “My gut tells me that it was because of the progress we were making in regional consolidation and thorough regional integration, even if I don’t have any hard proof. “Let us not give up on that work,” he responded.
This statement was made in the context of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, where the United States, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, and India inked a key initiative known as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, IMEEC. By promoting greater connection and economic integration between Asia, West Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, this corridor seeks to accelerate economic development.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor; IMEEC, which connects India to West Asia/Middle East, and the northern corridor, which connects West Asia/Middle East to Europe, will make up the economic corridor. When finished, the railway line will complement the current multi-modal transportation routes by offering a dependable and affordable transshipment network for goods and services between Southeast Asia and West Asia/Middle East.
Recently, Biden commended this plan, saying it will expand chances for cross-continental investment. He emphasized the Middle Eastern countries’ perseverance and coordinated efforts in this massive undertaking.
Israel-Hamas war – 20th day
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underlined Israel’s objective of Israel-Hamas war is “saving the country” throughout the crisis, amid growing hostilities between Israel and Hamas. He promised to launch ground operations into Gaza shortly in order to destroy Hamas, however the precise time and plan of the operation are still unknown. He claimed that Israel was getting ready for a land operation, but he withheld specifics to protect their men’ safety.
Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to the country, “Israel is fighting for its survival right now. The Israel-Hamas war has two goals: to destroy Hamas’s military and political infrastructure and to do everything in our power to free our prisoners.”
LATER WHITE HOSE CLAIMED THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN’S RELATING HAMAS ATTACK TO INDIA-MIDDLE EAST CORRIDOR IS A MISUNDERSTANDING.
The media reports that connected the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which resulted in over 1,400 fatalities, to the announced plans of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor—discussed during the G20 Summit in Delhi last month—were rejected by the White House, which clarified on Thursday that Biden’s comments were misinterpreted.
John Kirby, the National Security Council’s Coordinator of Strategic Communications, clarified that President Biden was conveying the impression that they were trying to come to an understanding on agreements and normalization procedures (between Saudi Arabia and Israel) through a generalization process, which is an essential step toward a two-state solution and might have served as inspiration for Hamas to carry out those attacks. He emphasized that it was probably misunderstood what Biden was trying to say.
Interestingly, Biden made no mention of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor; IMEEC, that was unveiled at the G20 Summit in Delhi last month. This corridor consists of a vast network of rail and marine routes that allow commodities to be transported from Southeast Asia to Europe via India and the Middle East.
With Israeli forces heavily bombarding Gaza and both sides suffering losses, including civilians, children, and the elderly, tensions in the region are rising and there are no signs that the battle will end very soon. Israeli tanks entered the Gaza border early today, and Israel has restricted humanitarian aid to the area.