Can Saudi Arabia really dig a canal and turn Qatar into an island?

We still can’t believe this report, but apparently it’s totally legit: Saudi Arabia is planning to dig a canal along its border with Qatar – completely cutting off the tiny, wealthy nation and turning it into an island in the process.

It’s a radical move from Saudi which, just 12 months ago – after accusing Qatar of supporting extremists and destabilising the region – severed diplomatic ties with the country. According to Gulf News, Saudi was joined by a number of other Arab countries, including Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt.

This latest plan, featuring a 60-kilometre-long canal tentatively called the Salwa Canal, appears to have the goal of further isolating Qatar, both symbolically and literally.

In another article, Gulf News reported that the deadline for tenders for construction of the canal was June 25, 2018.

It’s expected the winning contractor will be announced in around 90 days’ time – they will then have just one year to complete the proposed canal, which is set to be 200 metres wide, 15-20 metres deep, and cost around US$750 million (well over AU$1 billion).

If the plan goes ahead, the canal would cut Qatar off forever from Saudi Arabia, its only land border, meaning the end of any land trade. 

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And because Saudi Arabia intends to dig the canal well within its own territory, sea trade would also be affected, as ships would be able to bypass Qatar altogether.

Digging the canal that far back would also leave a strip of “no-man’s land” on the newly created island – land that would still technically be part of Saudi Arabia. Their plan for this bit of land? A military base and nuclear waste dump.

The Saudi side of the canal, however, would be developed as a tourist attraction, featuring a number of resorts with private beaches, as well as marinas for yachts and marine sports.

Whether or not Saudi Arabia actually proceeds with this proposal remains to be seen, but if the canal is constructed, it will raise many issues – including questions about Qatar’s viability as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Watch this space for updates about this extraordinary proposal that would literally change the map of the world.

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