Israeli port of Eilat declares bankruptcy

 

Port of Eilat in Israel

 

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

 

The Israeli port of Eilat has officially declared bankruptcy due to a significant decline in commercial activities and revenues, a senior official confirmed.

This downturn is attributed to the naval blockade imposed by Yemen’s Ansarallah group on Israeli-linked cargo ships since last November.

“It must be acknowledged that the port is in a state of bankruptcy,” stated Gideon Golber, CEO of Eilat Port. “Only one ship has arrived here in recent months. The Yemenis have effectively cut off access to the port.”

Earlier this month, the port of Eilat requested financial assistance from the government, having remained inactive since Tel Aviv launched its latest war on Gaza in October last year. 

In December, Golber reported an 85 percent decline in operations since the Yemeni Armed Forces began targeting Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea. He also indicated that if the situation continued, Eilat Port might need to temporarily lay off employees.

Meanwhile, the ports of Ashdod and Haifa on the Mediterranean are preparing for a potential “escalation from the North with Hezbollah,” according to the Jerusalem Post. Both ports are within range of Hezbollah’s missiles.

Shaul Schneider, Chairman of Ashdod Port, warned that if the northern front opens with Hezbollah, all of Israel’s ports except for Ashdod will become inoperative due to the escalation in the north and the closure of Eilat Port.

In an interview with Israeli newspaper Maariv, Schneider noted that Ashdod is the only government port and emphasized that Israel is effectively an “island nation,” with 99 percent of its goods arriving by sea.

He explained that Ashdod handles 40 percent of these goods and has recently served both Israeli and American security and military institutions with their ships.

Schneider highlighted that Ashdod is a critical strategic facility that continues to operate despite being targeted by missiles.

Arab Resistance

Starting in November, Ansarallah has joined other Arab Resistance groups in targeting Israel amid a bloody Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip.

The other groups include Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and, as of late, the Islamic Resistance in Bahrain.

The Ansarallah’s position was directly linked to Israel’s policy of starving Palestinians in Gaza. But instead of demanding an end to the Israeli siege on Gaza, the US began attacking Ansarallah positions in Yemen, killing and wounding many.

In June, the group announced that it launched its “fourth stage of escalation” against Israel until the Israeli war ends and the Gaza siege is lifted.

Saree said in a statement at the time that Ansarallah members “will target all ships headed to Israeli ports in any area we reach regardless of their nationality and destination.”