Israel is pushing a new plan to link the country’s Mediterranean ports to railways in the region.
Transport and Intelligence Affairs Minister Yisrael Katz publicly presented his “Tracks for Regional Peace” initiative this week, which has already been shared with the Trump administration and other allies of Israel, including a number of Arab states.
The plan is to connect largely existing rail infrastructure in Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia via a new link between the Jezreel Valley and the border crossing to Jordan near Bet Shean. This would to allow goods trains to run all the way from the Persian Gulf to the ports of Ashdod and Haifa.
The direct links could potentially shorten the distance between the main Saudi and Gulf hubs and the Mediterranean by thousands of miles. It could also allow goods shipments to bypass both the tense Hormuz straits, dominated by Iran; and the Bab-al-Mandeb straits connecting the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, currently threatened by the Houthis in Yemen. The network could potentially also include a link to a station in the northern West Bank, providing access for goods in and out of the Palestinian Authority.
