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| By: Israel Insider staff and partners |
| Published: December 31, 2004 |
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A planned rail line between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will traverse the West Bank in two areas, an Israeli official said Friday, raising questions about Israel's intentions for the disputed territory.
Israel conquered the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East War, and its final status awaits peace talks with the Palestinians, who claim it all for a future state.
A spokesman for Transport Minister Meir Sheetrit said Sheetrit had received a green light from the attorney general to route the rail line through two tunnels, parts of which are beyond the Green Line, with the first near the Latrun enclave, and the second near Mevasseret Zion.
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 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."
Besides its plans for the rail line, Israel is also constructing a separation barrier between the West Bank and Israel, which dips into the territory in a number of areas. Israel says the barrier is necessary to prevent Palestinian militants from attacking Israelis, while Palestinians condemn it as a land grab.
Israeli officials have said the barrier is a temporary structure that could be dismantled if there is a peace deal with the Palestinians. 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.
The AP contributed to this report. |
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