The “One Israel” Pipedream

Yom Rishon-Yom Shnee

Sunday-Monday

12-13 Av 5783

July 30-31 2023

Quote of the Day

“Yair Lapid is ready to talk with the PLO and Abu Mazen without preconditions, but will not talk to Likud about compromises on judicial reform unless Likud accepts his preconditions.”

Statement by the Likud Party

What the ever abominable Lapid is now insisting on is a 15 month freeze in judicial reform legislation as a precondition for resuming talks. He and the Opposition could care less about compromise.

The News on the Israeli Street

The war in Judea and Samaria.

Arson attacks:

Palestinian terrorists lit fires in the fields below Yitzhar for the second consecutive day.

Palestinian terrorists set more fires near the Samarian community of Avitar.

Shooting attacks:

Palestinian terrorists opened fire on IDF troops in Jenin this morning–the first time since the last operation that Israelis have been in Jenin.

Palestinian terrorists engaged IDF soldiers in a firefight in Qalqilya. One terrorist was killed.

Palestinian terrorist opened fire on IDF troops in Al-Muayyir. One terrorist was shot.

Palestinians opened fire on the Shomrom Brigade IDF post near Kfar Tel in Samaria. No Israelis were wounded; the terrorists escaped.

A Palestinian terrorist opened fire at the Netzani Oz checkpoint. No Israelis were wounded, and the terrorist escaped.

Run-over attacks:

A Palestinian terrorist tried to runover IDF soldiers at Hawara near Einbus Square. No soldiers were wounded; the terrorist escaped.

Another Palestinian terrorist broke through two IDF checkpoints at Einbus Square. Soldiers chased down the terrorist and captured him.

“Rock”, Molotov, IED attacks:

Palestinian terrorists detonated an IED near our security forces just outside of Deir Ivzia. One soldier was wounded and needed to evacuated.

Palestinian terrorists tried to murder Israelis at Karmi Tzur, Al-Aruv, at numerous places along the Gush Etzion-Hevron Road, at Nagohut near Mt. Hevron, between Ariel and Tapuach at Marda, and at Beit Omer among other places.

In the neighborhood . . .

7 infiltrators were captured as they tried to cross into Israel from Jordan.

Hezbollah terrorists set fire to an Israeli kiwi plantation near the Lebanese border.

TODAY’S BLOG

The “One Israel” Pipedream

PM Netanyahu held a press conference yesterday in which he announced the “One Israel” plan to link Kiryat Shmona in the north to Eilat in the south via high speed rail.

The train route would be an amalgamation of existing railways and new railways. Some of the new sections are from Dimona-Eilat (estimated cost 26 billion shekels), Kiryat Shmona to Karmiel (18.7 billion), and Mash Pina to Afola (17 billion).

Where would the money come from? According to Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Miri Regev, foreign investors are beating down Israel’s door for the chance to invest.

When would the project be finished? For example, the Dimona to Eilat section–192 km long–wouldn’t be done until 2035.

How high speed would the high speed train be? It certainly would be no bullet train. The only section for which an estimate was given was 250 km/hr on the section from Haifa north. To reach anywhere near that speed on existing rail would require the tracks to be significantly “upgraded.”

In sum, as wonderful as the project sounds–especially in the prospect of opening up the Arava desert to new towns and cities–it seems like a pipe dream to your humble servant. One important factor not mentioned yesterday were the environmental objections sure to be raised all along the proposed line.

And one wonders to what has happened to some of the previous rail linkage plans? A new, fast rail line was supposed to have been built by the Chinese from Eilat to Ashkelon to Ashdod. That plan has vanished into thin air.

Also, it should be noted that the idea that local workers–especially Israeli-Arabs and Palestinians–could in anyway complete the line by 2035 is absurd.

As proof of that statement, I offer the example of the house next door to my home in Ashdod which was virtually taken down to its foundation 3 years ago and “is being” rebuilt. For three years, teams of Israeli-Arab workers and Palestinian workers have worked on the house.

With no end to the work ever in sight.

Last month the contractor dumped all the Arab workers and brought in 3 Chinese workers. Those 3 Chinese workers have done more in one month than the others accomplished in the previous 3 years.

If the One Israel project ever has any hope of being completed, the government would have to bring in the Chinese to do it. There are simply not enough engineers nor enough skilled workers to make it happen.