Israel Approves ‘Hejaz Railway’ Link to Saudi Arabia

Israeli Minister Yisrael Katz. (Photo: via Twitter)

Israel’s prime minister has greenlighted work to begin on planned railroad network that will connect Israel to Saudi Arabia, Israeli state-run TV reported on Saturday.

According to a translation of the report by The New Arab’s Arabic-language service, Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz have agreed to “immediately launch” the project.

The report said:

“The channel’s political pundit Dennis Weiss stressed that the administration of US President Donald Trump supports the project. Weiss added that it will strengthen relations with ‘moderate nations’ in the region and fight the threat of Iran.”

Under the proposal, goods could travel by rail from Israel’s port of Haifa through Jordan to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

Katz last year spoke to Saudi-funded news website Elaph about the freight railway network, saying he wanted to revive the historic Hejaz railway.

He said:

“As you can see this regional project will link trains to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.”

He added that the project will also give Palestinians greater access to Haifa’s port, with a station in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

The report is the latest in a series showing warming ties between Israel and Gulf states that are increasingly coming out in the open as they find common cause against mutual foe Iran.

(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, PC, Social Media)

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