Israel's government on Sunday gave the green light to building the first rail link between its Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts, offering a new Asia-Europe trade route to compete with the Suez Canal. "This is a strategic decision," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers at the cabinet's weekly meeting. "In the coming decade, new (economic) powers will arise," a statement from his office quoted him as saying.
"It is within our power to create an alternative transport route, bypassing the Suez Canal." It said that ministers voted unanimously to go ahead with the scheme. At an initial cabinet meeting on the project last week, Netanyahu said the plan had "created very great interest among the emerging powers, China and India, and others."
It also envisages a passenger line through the Negev desert which would for the first time would put Israel's southern Red Sea resort of Eilat a two-hour train ride from Tel Aviv, 350 kilometres (220 miles) away. Netanyahu's office said the first stage would be to choose between three alternative financing schemes - a bilateral agreement "between Israel and another government," a partnership between the Israeli government and local investors, or full government funding.
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