The Hebrew website “The Marker” stated that the seizure of an Israeli-owned commercial ship by Sana’a forces has once again shed light on an important issue these days, and even more so during times of war: “How safe is Israeli maritime trade?”
Exclusive Translation / Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:
The website pointed out that the Sana’a forces turned its threat a few days ago into action on Sunday when they seized a ship carrying cars in route from Turkey to India. This ship, named “Galaxy Leader,” is partially owned by a British company affiliated with Israeli businessman Rami Unger.
According to the website, “The attack launched by Sana’a forces on an Israeli-owned ship highlights the vulnerability of maritime trade in the Red Sea region, especially for Israel. The geopolitical changes in recent years have also affected Israel’s maritime trade, increasing the importance of the Red Sea, through which goods from the East, especially to the ports of Ashdod and Haifa via the Suez Canal, are transported.”
“The economic center of gravity is clearly shifting towards East and Southeast Asia, and accordingly, Israel’s trade with those countries is increasing. The critical part of it passes through the Suez Canal and the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait,” according to Brigadier General Shaul Horev, Head of the Haifa Center for Maritime Policy and Strategic Studies and Head of the Azri Center for the Study of the Gulf States at the University of Haifa, in a statement published on the website.
Data indicates the growing importance of trade between the occupying entity and the countries of the East: In 2006, around 191,000 containers from Asia and the Far East arrived in occupied Palestine, along with approximately 268,000 containers from Western Europe. In 2019, 278,000 containers from Asia and the Far East reached the ports of Ashdod and Haifa, while imports from Western Europe remained the same, around 260,000 containers.
Following the events of yesterday, Horev says, “The situation is worsening because the Houthis explicitly warned that all ships belonging to Israel or connected to it will become legitimate targets for Yemeni forces.” This contradicts two positions expressed by Israeli commentators past day, who downplayed the significance and structure of the event, stating, “Some claim that this is piracy activity unrelated to Israel in reality. But this is not piracy; it is part of the action against us.”
“The second position is that since these ships do not fly the Israeli flag and are not heading to or from Israel, we should not be concerned. However, I also disagree with that. Unger is one of the owners, so from our perspective, it is an Israeli ship.”
Horev says that what increases concern is if Sana’a forces begin to expand its operations from attacking ships owned by Israeli shipping companies to ships making their way to and from occupied Palestine, in addition to the rising insurance costs for ships to and from Israeli ports.
The website also noted that ZIM, the largest Israeli transport company, is suffering losses in profits as its shares are traded at a lower return compared to competing global companies, even though only a minority of its ships pass through the Suez Canal.
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