Israel announced a proposed plan to link its railway network with regional partners, including its eastern neighbor Jordan, as well as Saudi Arabia that does not have official diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, in a plan to boost the economies of the countries of the region. Israel’s Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, who has announced himself as a candidate to succeed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the longtime Israeli leader steps down, said the US had expressed enthusiasm at the plan but he declined to say whether Arab states also backed it.
“I have already started working, I received the green light from the prime minister, we are in touch with very senior elements in the U.S. administration. I already move the Israeli part of the plan forward, we are working. The idea is to put everything in a framework of practical implementation. Countries, companies, I’m an expert in this field, building the model could be a very quick process. Everyone in their own region does their part, the needed links are very small. The general network already exists,” said Katz.
The proposal would have a rail network link between Saudi Arabia’s port of Daman in the Gulf via Jordan to the Mediterranean port of Haifa in northern Israel, significantly cutting the distance needed to transport goods. “The deal is to their (Arab states’) benefit. I have great reason to believe that they want this. We are actually affording them what was here during the Turkish rule, affording them a link to the Mediterranean, in modern conditions,” added Katz.
Minister Katz also said that the plan could greatly benefit the Palestinians with a possibility to export goods from the West Bank to the Arab world . “This is the biggest revolution ever for Palestinian society. It could transform the (West Bank) into a modern territory,” concluded Katz.
Minister Yisrael Katz has held the transportation portfolio under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since 2009, during which he has significantly improved Israel’s transportation infrastructure. Katz also proposed building an artificial island off the coast of the Gaza Strip that would house an airport and sea port, to serve the people of the Palestinians enclave and improve their living conditions.