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The Mel Brooks Option

A solution for the oft-bombed gas pipeline between Israel and Egypt

by
Adam Chandler
July 23, 2012

In the course of just over a year, the gas pipeline between Egypt and Israel (as well as Jordan) has been bombed fifteen times. The most recent incident took place yesterday morning when the pipeline was attacked near El Arish in the Sinai. Since April, according to reports, there have no exports of gas to Israel and Jordan, causing the cost of electricity to rise by as much as 20%.

In thinking of how to handle such a conundrum and with diplomatic and security possibilities limited, The Scroll has decided to take matters into its own hands. The solution we’ve come up with would be called The Mel Brooks Option. It’d entail the creation of a fake Rock Ridge-style gas pipeline to lure in attackers to the wrong place. (Whether or not, they’d be blown up is a decision we’d leave to the experts.) Given the hot-button nature of the issue of taxes in Israel, the toll booth would be optional:

Calls placed by The Scroll to Mel Brooks’ representation were not immediately returned.

Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.