It came across almost as an afterthought: Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s statement at the end of an official announcement Sunday about plans for a high-speed train project to run the full length of Israel.
Forecast to cost NIS 100 billion, the line would connect the northern town of Kiryat Sh’mona with the Red Sea border port of Eilat, approximately 400 km to the south.
What Netanyahu added, was that it “will be able in the future to link Israel to Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula”.
“We’re working on that too,” he told his cabinet.
Afterwards, in a press briefing to elaborate on the plan, the prime minister confined his words to the project in Israel and did not allude to an Arabia extension.
Still, his “add-on” increased speculation that something could be about to break in efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords.
It follows a week of reports out of Washington – along with a flurry of diplomatic activity – suggesting the administration is increasingly eager – some say, desperate – to see a normalisation...
Become a Member
-
Read all member content
Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel.
-
Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel
Connect with Israel, right from your home.
-
Lift up the voice of truth and hope
Support Jerusalem-based Zionist journalism.
Already a member? Login here.
Israel Today Membership
Monthly Membership
Yearly Membership
Save 18% Per Month.
Six Months Membership
Save 9% Per Month.
2 responses to “Analysis: An Israeli-Saudi Deal – Fast Train to Peace, or a Trap?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
It’s most likely that Biden’s priority is to achieve a big move towards Palestinian statehood. So he will pressure MBS to require this concession from Israel. Biden will make an arms sale to MBS dependent on that. At the same time Biden will tell Bibi that normalisation with SA is achievable provided Bibi agrees to Palestinian Statehood.
This way Biden is the big winner. Bibi pays with Palestinian statehood, though he gets the normalisation. MBS pays with muslem sensibilities and critic, though he gets his weapons.
Biden only wins, three times (at least): Palestinian statehood, a substantial extension of the Abraham accords and a considerable arms sale (which makes SA more dependent on the USA, and also Israel more dependent on the USA because it needs to maintain a costly substantial military edge).
We cannot oversee the future. God can. But it looks wise to pray that Biden’s plans will not prevail, because Palestinian statehood would be destructive for Israel.
Shalom,
Look no further than the devastation that met the District of Columbia over the weekend just by the mentioning of this agreement, this is not a covenant with Shalom, rather a covenant with Hiram, The King of Tyrus ~ beast system that is Babylon from Boston to DC connection!
I implore you Bibi Netanyahu not to go to Washington, this is a fast train to nowhereville, a trap of monumental proportions!!!
Elohim will not allow the land to be divided, destruction awaits those who try!