26 Sep 2018; TASS: The United States Sixth Fleet, based in the Mediterranean Sea, may abandon the use of Israel’s major port of Haifa, Seth Cropsey, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta. The reason for the move is China’s permission to build and control a new port terminal in Haifa. Everyone in Israel is trying to figure out who made the decision to allow America’s major strategic adversary to take over this crucial port.
Cropsey, who now heads the Center for American Seapower at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, believes that the deal will have significant geopolitical consequences. China will get an important position for eavesdropping and monitoring at the Haifa port, which is Israel’s key naval base, he told the paper.
The former Pentagon assistant, who worked in the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations, explained that China may be able to spy on important Israeli communications and every vessel at the port will be under its thumb.
China’s positions at the Haifa port will further set the tone for potential US decisions on collaborative efforts with the Israeli Navy, including visits of US ships to Haifa and any more cooperation between the two countries, Cropsey said.
The Israelis fear that China’s presence in the Mediterranean will drive a wedge between Jerusalem and Washington. Another alarming sign is strong relations between China and Iran, which is Israel’s major foe in the Middle East. Another confirmation of this is that despite the US tough rhetoric against the regime, China’s imports of Iranian oil rose 9.3% in the first five months of 2018. Beijing is expected to boost these purchases, the paper says.
Given the US plans to launch a major "administration-wide" campaign against China, according to the Axios portal, Beijing’s attempt to advance its interests through America’s allies in the Middle East seems to be justified, the paper writes.
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http://tass.com/pressreview/1023094
