The latest
Simultaneous pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb exposes a geographic gap in Saudi Arabia’s oil export network. The East-West Pipeline can carry crude from the Eastern Province to Yanbu, avoiding Hormuz, but tankers remain inside the Red Sea and must still pass through Bab el-Mandeb or take the longer route around Africa.
An Israeli system built to solve a similar problem could, in theory, provide another exit. The Europe Asia Pipeline, better known as the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline, runs 254 kilometers between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Mediterranean. Oil can be unloaded at Eilat, transported across Israel within hours and reloaded at Ashkelon for European markets.
The scenario remains speculative. There is no public indication that Riyadh is preparing to use the pipeline or negotiating with Israel. The main obstacle is political rather than technical: moving Saudi crude through Israel would be viewed across the region as a practical step toward normalization, even if presented as a temporary commercial arrangement.
Details:
- Original purpose: The pipeline was built in 1968 and 1969 by Israel and Iran under the shah to carry Iranian crude from Eilat to the Mediterranean while bypassing the Suez Canal.
- Initial projections: The CIA expected its first phase to transport about 20 million tons annually, potentially rising to between 50 million and 60 million tons.
- Change of control: Tehran severed ties with Israel after the 1979 revolution, leaving Israel in full control of the system now operated by the Europe Asia Pipeline Company.
- Bidirectional system: The network was upgraded in 2003 to operate in both directions, although northbound transport from Eilat to Ashkelon remains its highest-capacity configuration.
- Potential route: Saudi crude would travel through the East-West Pipeline to Yanbu, sail to Eilat, cross Israel by pipeline and then be loaded onto tankers at Ashkelon.
- Available capacity: The pipeline can move about 1.2 million barrels a day toward Ashkelon. That is far below total Saudi exports but could provide relief during a prolonged disruption.
- Parallel corridor: It could complement Egypt’s SUMED Pipeline, giving Riyadh a second Red Sea-to-Mediterranean route that does not depend on the same national infrastructure.
- Commercial advantage: The route would shorten Europe-bound voyages compared with sailing around the Cape of Good Hope and would require no major new construction.
- Regional precedent: The UAE explored commercial use of the pipeline after the Abraham Accords, but Saudi Arabia has announced no comparable initiative.
- Environmental concern: Expanding tanker traffic at Eilat faces opposition because of the Gulf of Aqaba’s coral reefs and the legacy of a 2014 oil spill near the Evrona Nature Reserve.
Between the lines
For Saudi Arabia, the pipeline’s value lies more in serving as an insurance option than a permanent alternative. It could widen the range of export routes during a crisis, but would exchange geographic vulnerability for political exposure.
What to Watch:
The scenario would become more credible only if pressure persisted simultaneously on Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb and other routes proved insufficient. Riyadh would then have to weigh the economic cost of longer voyages and constrained exports against the political cost of using Israeli infrastructure.
