The Israel-Gaza conflict is a “worrying manifestation” of geopolitical hurdles for the U.S.-backed multinational economic corridor, India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman revealed on Wednesday. In September, global governers declared a rail and ports deal connecting the Middle East and South Asia, as the U.S. seeks to counter China’s Belt and Road push on global infrastructure with a new economic corridor.
The proposed corridor will pass through Israel, which has was involved in a very intense war with Hamas in the Gaza strip, in retaliation for the militants’ cross-border assault into Israel on Oct. 7. “It (the corridor) is not without its geopolitical hurdles and the constant war in Israel and Gaza is a worrying manifestation of these,” Sitharaman said during a conference.