Benjamin Netanyahu: We Will Connect Israel and Saudi Arabia by Train

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, August 8, "We are connecting Israel and Saudi Arabia by train and are actively working on this." According to Reuters, the Prime Minister announced that "Israel is starting a $27 billion railway development project to connect remote areas to Tel Aviv, which in the future could also provide a land connection to Saudi Arabia." In this cabinet meeting, Netanyahu announced infrastructure projects, including the "One Israel Project," which he said would reduce travel time by train to commercial and government centers in the country to "two hours or less." Netanyahu further stated, "In the future, we will be able to transport goods from Eilat to the Mediterranean coast using the railway and also connect Israel by train to Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula." This announcement comes after last week's visit by senior U.S. officials to Saudi Arabia, aimed at advancing potential official relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. During the weekly cabinet meeting, it seemed that Netanyahu had moved past the constitutional crisis that has gripped Israel for months and turned to other issues. Nationwide protests in Israel began in January of this year when Netanyahu's government announced a bill to revise the judicial system, which would revoke some powers of the Israeli Supreme Court and grant politicians greater influence in the selection of judges. The Israeli army warned Netanyahu: Iran and Hezbollah consider the judicial reforms a "historic opportunity." A secret meeting of senior officials from the Islamic Republic and Hamas regarding the crisis in Israel was reported. Doctors and healthcare staff in Israel went on strike. The former head of Mossad stated that the Minister of Defense should have resigned due to the passage of the judicial reform law.