Israel Announces New Railway: “It Could Reach Saudi Arabia”

Israel is launching a rail transport project called Israel United that will connect Kiryat Shmona, in the far north of the country, with Eilat, in the far south, located on Israel’s small outlet to the Red Sea.

The announcement of this railway line was made directly by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and its strategic importance is clear: the transportation of goods from various Mediterranean ports to the Red Sea. From there, crossing Jordan, future railway expansions could reach Saudi Arabia, thus creating a direct link to the Arabian Peninsula. Of course, this last project will become real in the future only if the current attempts to “normalize” relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia succeed – the attempts that are allegedly mediated by the US administration.

A possible agreement with Riad would be a natural continuation of the Abraham Accords that in 2020 marked the normalization of relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. They will be followed by prominent economic and strategic advantages. In the meantime, the United States, in the background, is working on new agreements with Saudi Arabia that could involve Israel as well.