Doesn’t the route of the Ben Gurion Canal pass over land in the Negev that is of considerable elevation, meaning that it would either involve a tremendous level of excavation to cut down to sea level (which is what torpedoed the French attempt at the Panama Canal) or need to use a Panama-like system of locks that would make it less attractive for shipping than the Suez Canal that already exists?
If Israel has an economic motive to ethnically cleanse Gaza, it would be more likely to access valuable beachfront property that would take some of the heat out of Tel Aviv’s housing market.