Home / Archive / Triumphant Bibi Netanyahu Teases Blockbuster Alliance with Tesla’s Elon Musk
Politics
3 min read

Triumphant Bibi Netanyahu Teases Blockbuster Alliance with Tesla’s Elon Musk

Last Updated September 23, 2020 12:38 PM
Ben Brown
Last Updated September 23, 2020 12:38 PM

Benjamin Netanyahu secured a fifth-straight term as Israeli prime minister in Tuesday’s fierce election. Attention will now turn to many of the ambitious projects mentioned on the campaign trail. One such project is a plan to bore tunnels through Israel in partnership with one of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s other projects – Boring Company.

Netanyahu’s Breakfast With Tesla CEO Elon Musk

The Israeli prime minister, also known as “Bibi,” sat down for breakfast with Elon Musk back in March 2018. The pair talked about the possibility of using Musk’s technology to improve infrastructure in Israel.

Netanyahu brought up the project again last week, days before the crucial election. Speaking in front of campaign crowds, he said:

“I met a man that they call Elon Musk — have you heard of him? A real genius. Right now we’re in conversation with him to see if we can tunnel the State of Israel.”

Israeli Tunnel Project an Empty Campaign Promise?

Netanyahu’s plan to drill through Israel may have resonated with some voters. Both the IMF and the OECD have called Israel’s roads the worst in the western world  and blamed poor infrastructure for slow economic development.

Musk’s Boring Company aims to eliminate traffic congestion by going underground. Musk claims you could get from New York to Washington DC in less than 30 minutes . 

“To solve the problem of soul-destroying traffic, roads must go 3D, which means either flying cars or tunnels. Unlike flying cars, tunnels are weatherproof, out of sight and won’t fall on your head. A large network of tunnels many levels deep would help alleviate congestion in any city, no matter how large it grew (just keep adding levels).”

Promising radical new infrastructure projects like Musk’s tunnel solution may have won Netanyahu some votes in a country riddled with traffic problems. However, we should point out that some officials who looked at Musk’s demo tunnel aren’t convinced.

Netanyahu Has Bigger Things to Worry About Right Now

While it’s an exciting project, Benjamin Netanyahu has more pressing issues to deal with. Namely, unifying his country after an incredibly divisive election campaign.

As CCN.com reported, Netanyahu didn’t win an outright majority and will be forced to form a coalition government with right-wing parties. The incumbent prime minister also made much more controversial campaign promises, such as annexing some of the West Bank.

Let’s just say, boring tunnels isn’t exactly a priority as Netanyahu navigates the impossible and endless Arab-Israeli conflict.