Israeli transport minister backs new light rail for settlements

Israeli transportation minister Israel Katz has given his backing to a new light rail network that would serve to connect West Bank settlements with Jerusalem.

According to reports in the Israeli media, the government’s planned extension of the light rail system would incorporate settlements in Occupied East Jerusalem as well as in the West Bank.

The Times of Israel said Katz “wants four new lines of the rail system to reach Ma’aleh Adumim, Adam, Givat Ze’ev and the Qalandiya crossing.”

All Israeli settlements established in the occupied Palestinian territory are considered illegal under international law.

Commenting on the plans, Katz said: “I see Jerusalem and the greater Jerusalem area as a single unit…And if someone comes and says that we should put an artificial barrier between residents because they live over what was once called the ‘Green Line’ – we do not accept this argument.”