JERUSALEM — A planned rail line between Tel Aviv and occupied Jerusalem will traverse the West Bank in two areas, an Israeli official said yesterday, raising questions about Israel's intentions for the disputed territory.
| I don't think there's any question at all. |
Israel conquered the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East War, and its final status awaits peace talks with the Palestinians, who unrealistically claim it all for a future failed state.
A spokesman for Transport Minister Meir Sheetrit said Sheetrit had received a green light from the attorney general to route the line through small portions of the West Bank near the Latrun and Mevasseret Zion areas. The attorney general, Meni Mazuz, had held up planning on the line to study the legal implications of its crossing West Bank territory, but had now decided it could move forward, Transport Ministry spokesman Jonathan Beker said. "The minister has been informed that there is not a problem that should stop the progress of the rail line," Beker said.
Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erakat condemned the Israeli move. "Any Israeli building in the territories occupied in 1967 is illegal according to his incorrect interpretation of international law," he said. "This rail route is part of an Israeli policy of creating facts on the ground and this policy will undermine any possibilities of reaching a peace agreement."
Israel Railways, a public corporation, says the planned Tel Aviv-Jerusalem rail line is a permanent part of its infrastructure. Beker said construction of the line would start after the ministry arranges financing and hires contractors. He did not provide a target date for completion of the project.
| Shouldn't take long, it's not far from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. |
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