Yedioth Ahronoth: Israel is moving to acquire a port in Greek Cyprus

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that Israel is moving to acquire a port in Greek Cyprus, under the pretext of protecting its imports of goods in the event that the port of Haifa is targeted.

It could also be a point for examining goods before they arrive at a port that the United States will build on the coast of the Gaza Strip.

To this end, an Israeli delegation, headed by the head of the Israeli Ports Company, Uzi Yitzhaki, is scheduled to leave Monday for Greek Cyprus, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

Yedioth Ahronoth said, “The port under consideration could protect Israel’s imports of goods in the event that security risks arise in the port of Haifa”.

The Israeli newspaper added, “The port could also serve as a checkpoint to inspect goods before they arrive at the port that the United States will build on the coast of Gaza,” without giving further details.

On Saturday evening, the Israeli Ministry of Transport announced that a delegation headed by the head of the port company will leave for Cyprus on Monday, to discuss, under the guidance of Transport Minister Miri Regev, the possibility of acquiring one of the island’s ports.

Yedioth Ahronoth said, “This initiative comes within the framework of Israel’s efforts to find maritime solutions to supply goods to the country, especially in response to national security scenarios and challenges related to maritime logistics services”.

The estimated cost of such an acquisition is about $140 million, and the Greek Cypriots are interested in this proposal, but this is just an initial stage of the process, and the idea won’t be comprehensively examined by the National Security Council and presented to the government for approval, until progress is made in the negotiations.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Israel also wants to benefit from this port during the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, after the end of the war.

Yedioth Ahronoth continued, “Estimations in Israel and the world indicate that the rehabilitation of Gaza will take five years… During this period, humanitarian supplies will be directed to the Strip through a port that the United States will establish in Gaza, as President Joe Biden promised in his State of the Union address a few days ago”.

Yedioth Ahronoth added, “Taking control of the port in Cyprus would allow Israel to control the security arrangements, enabling it to conduct security checks for any goods arriving in the Gaza Strip by sea”.

The Israeli newspaper reported that the potential acquisition of the port isn’t only related to the situation in Gaza, it’s also a response to Israeli concerns about a possible conflict from the north, as Hezbollah may try to target the port of Haifa.

In such a scenario, cargo ships transporting goods to Israel will sail from the port in Greek Cyprus to one of Israel’s southern ports in Ashdod or Eilat.

Referring to the economic corridor project between India and Europe through countries in the Middle East, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said, “It’s possible in the future that goods coming from India to Israel will be transported from the ports of Israel to Cyprus, and from there to destinations throughout Europe”.