New perspectives on the Negev continental bridge

In a paper written immediately after the reopening of the Suez Canal in 1975, a question was raised: is the Israeli Negev a viable alternative to the Suez Canal? (Geoforum, 8, 29-32, 1977). The answer posted then was pessimistic - the continental land bridge was seen as having failed to function as a real alternative. Now, two years after the reopening of the Canal, it appears that the land bridge seems to be a more economically viable venture than previously suggested. The amount of cargo in transit over the land bridge and its percentage of the total port of Eilat traffic is increasing despite competition from the Canal. This phenomenon and new perspectives on the Negev land bridge are discussed in this follow-up paper.