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Google has begun laying the foundations for a new fiber optic Internet cable from India to Europe that can be routed through arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The tech giant wants to build the $ 400 million Blue-Raman cable to bypass Egypt’s regional throttle.
Instead, the cable should run from Mumbai across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, then Jordan and Israel, across the Mediterranean and to Italy.
The project takes shape as Arab states thaw decades of frozen ties with Israel and claim that Saudi Arabia is working to recognize the Jewish state.
Google plans to build a $ 400 million Internet cable – Blue-Raman (pictured in blue) – through arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel to bypass Egypt
Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan have already agreed to establish relations with Israel, thereby breaking the decades-long demand by the Arab states to recognize Palestine, a necessary precursor to any agreement with Israel.
While the deals in themselves are historic, President Trump– whose government was overseeing the process – suggested that nine other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, would also prepare to sign.
While Saudi Arabia and Israel have taken no official steps to forge ties, it was reported this week that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.
If the meeting were confirmed, it would be the first of its kind between two high-ranking officials from these countries.
Saudi Arabia then denied the meeting had taken place and Netanyahu’s office declined to comment.
However, flight logs showed that on the day in question, a jet that the Israeli guide frequently uses had flown between the two countries.
And a day after the reported trip, Israel removed Saudi Arabia from its coronavirus quarantine list.
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