Israel planning new West Bank train network, minister says

between what Israel SAYS, and what it DOES. Netanyahu and his bunch have no intention of seriously pursuing any settlement that entails a Palestinian state. They make that clear almost daily.

whats built in west bank will stay ours when we claim statehood. nice hot houses and fish farms in gaza gift from israel you guys are the best

...etc. This initiative is yet another indication that Israel is eager to develop peaceful relationships with its Arab neighbors and those oppose such developments are clearly eager to keep the hostility between the parties of the Arab Israeli conflict.

Another track should go from Jerusalem to Arad trough Maale Adumim-Mitzpe Yericho-Almog-Mitzpe Shalem-Ein Gedi-Neve Zohar. Good for tourism, job seekers, etc.

After invading Tibet the Chinese buit a rail link to Lhasa so as, in part, to enable the assimiliation of the country into greater China. Is this something similar? I understand that at present some roads in the WB are for the sole uses of Jews. Might the train have similar apartheid-like practices?

Enormous projects? Massive budgets & budget overruns? Top stuff Mr Katz - nice to see your staff is wasting time & taxpayer money with nonsense instead of connecting the real periphery and actually managing to run the existing rail network properly. I hope the Finance Ministry can it like they did with the last silly ideas.

It would be nice if Yehuda Katz first fulfilled repeated govt promises to lay train lines to the Galil - Carmiel, and further north to Kiryat Shemona. Another ridiculous example of screwing over Israelis (in the north) to screw over Palestinians.

The Zionist goal Has Always been, is, and will Always Be: The Complete, Absolute, and Total Ethnic Cleansing/Transfer of the Palestinian People out of the West Bank "Judea and Sameria". So what do you expect?

This train network will make a nice gift to the new state of Palestine. It, like the road that was closed to the local Arab population for years, but now is open eventually will be part of the basic infrastructure of the new state of Palestine.

I'd like to ask a question, and I don't want to hear a reply from pro-Palestinian Americans or Europeans but from Palestinians. If Israel doesn't want to or is unable to physically remove the settlers are the settlers welcome to become a minority group with civil rights in your country? If so there's a really simple solution to all of this...the governments draw a line and the people decide which side of it they want to live on. Some of the settlers may love the land for religious or other reasons so much they would take their chances. Others are posturing because they assume they will be evacuated by force rather than being abandoned and they use that as leverage to block the peace process in its entirety.

Planning a new West Bank train network and stating construction in the West Bank would continue immediately after the construction freeze comes to an end. Do these type of statements constitute what Obama considers to be incitement? Should.

Jews are welcome with the exception of these thugs and terrorists settlers who know nothing but terrorizing civilians and burning farms and mosques.

I too believe that Jews will live in the West Bank forever. But they will not be able to live there much longer as apartheid occupiers. The intrusions into the West Bank have made a real two state solution impossible. There are therefor only two other solutions. First, the openly apartheid state with Israel clinging to power in an increasingly aware and disapproving world. This is the stage we are now in which will continue and become exacerbated in the short run. World pressure will finally force an end to apartheid, as it did in South Africa, and then the only solution will be a binational single state, which will no longer be a Jewish state. The chance to preserve the Jewish state has come and gone.

How long have we been waiting for the fast train from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, supposedly our capital city? How long have we been watching the endless saga of the Jerusalem Light Rail chew up main thoroughfares, generating traffic snarlups and bust businesses? Question to Mr. Katz. Are you going to drill tunnels through the security barrier you'll just have finished constructing?

The idea to build a train in the Eastern Parts of Israel is a wonderful idea. The hate speech calling this area "West Bank" must stop as it's derogatory and demeaning to the residents who live there. By the same logic than Jordan should be called the "East Bank"!

as I recall the Pals said if no progress by end year they will go to UN to declare independence, I hate to speculate on the reprecautions from this

The more rais in Judea, Samaria and Aza, the better for Israel. However, the Palestinians should not use the trains, for they would bring in some bombs and other explosives aboard.

For there to be peace Jews will not live in the occupied West Bank. Period. This is non-negotiable. Any sane Israelis and Jews have to remove those settlers for their own good and for peace

Yes, Why are secular institutions in Tel Aviv being funded with tax money collected from residents in YeSha, why are roads in Tel Aviv funded with this money? I'm afraid Tel Aviv will have to go. Seculars can go to Vienna where they feel more comfortable as embarrassed Jews.

A rail line, splitting the Palestinian territories in half, and guess who will control it. This might be worse than announcing 1600 new apartments in East Jerusalem. It will be interesting to see the Palestinian reaction.

rail travel is efficient.

There is no way Israeli taxpayers are going to agree to fund a train line between Jenin & Jerusalem. The residents of Jenin are our enemies and it will help them try and make a grab for east Jerusalem and the city must not be divided. Right now if the Israeli government wants to spend money on the railways then spend money linking up all of Israel north - south. If they want to build a railway from Jenin - Jerusalem then let Obama take out Americas check book to pay for it otherwise lets drop the wild ideas.

It is becoming a real madhouse. however it is in great equality and no segregation: the askenzy russian sitting beside a religous sefaradi and both together with a hassidic fanatic and an askenzy rightist, one can make a circus out of that with the prime ministerplaying the acrobat.

A new lobby in the United States has been pushing for a one state solution if the two state solution is not implemented. New Policy PAC is pressuring American Congressmen to support ending the Occupation and bringing justice to the Palestinians whether though a one or two-state solution.

This is excellent news for anybody who wants the Land of Israel to be fruitful, productive and prosperous. That ought to include the Arabs living there too, but it seems that they would prefer to live in a barren desert, so long as they don't have to see any Jews...

From whom will the land for the train and road network be expropriated? From the Palestinians or from the settlements ? Your guess !

Its obvious Israel has no intention of making peace with the palestinians.It would be far better if we did not have to impose a settlement between Palestine and Israel but it looks like it will happen anyway,Obama must let Israel prove for the last time its true intentions, unfortunately.