Trade Will Find a Way

With the Arab Spring devolving into an even more unstable Arab summer, European trade may be cut off from South and East Asia. Increasingly anti-Western Egypt controls the primary route, via the Suez Canal.

Instead of falling back to caravans of camels, Israel is considering a rail link:

"In addition there will be a line for carrying goods from Asia to Europe," Netanyahu told a meeting of his cabinet. "It has created very great interest in among the emerging powers, China and India, and others." He said that new rail and road networks would join the Eilat line to northern Israel and also become "a junction between continents." "It is therefore of strategic importance, both nationally and internationally," he said, adding Sunday's discussion would be the first of at least two on the subject.

Even if they avoid political self-strangulation, technological advances in petroleum development may diminish the importance of the Arab Middle East:

Israeli officials say a so-called "Med-Red" railway could also be used for future exports of gas to India, and possibly China, from Mediterranean fields currently under development.
 
The two biggest Israeli finds, Tamar and Leviathan, lie respectively about 80 and 130 kilometres (50 and 80 miles) off the northern port city of Haifa.

H/T: I Want a New Left