Israel announces plan for train line from Haifa to Gulf states via Jordan

DEBKAfile was founded by a team of journalists in June 2000 as an independent Internet Web site, providing an intelligence and security news service. April 5, 2017, 1:47 PM (IDT)

Israeli Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz announced Wednesday a plan to establish a train line running from the port city of Haifa, via the Sheikh Hussein Bridge on the Jordanian border, to the city of Irbid in Jordan and from there to Persian Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia. Katz said at a press conference that the line would transform Jordan into a regional transportation center; provide the Palestinians with direct access to Haifa’s port and the Arab world; and give Arab countries such as Jordan and the Gulf states access to the Mediterranean. The minister added that he had presented the plan to US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Jason Greenblatt who Katz said was “deeply impressed” by it. 

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