The “Corridors for Economic Integration” plan
The paper was drafted by Shira Greenberg, the ministry’s Chief Economist, under the direction of Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman. Government officials said that Liberman met in recent days with Prime Minister Yair Lapid to ensure that its main points would be brought up in talks with Biden during his visit to Israel, which begins on Wednesday and will end on Friday.
The paper – which was obtained by The Jerusalem Post and prepared in English so it could be shared with the Biden administration – pushes for a new plan called “Corridors for Economic Integration” that would create a regional transportation network including railways and highways linking Israel with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
“By creating a direct connection between the Gulf and the Mediterranean, the network will allow for dramatically shorter shipment times between East and West,” the paper claims. “The project thus has the potential to facilitate trade on both a regional and global level, in addition to enhancing regional economic cooperation.”
The future is already here - at least some of it
Some sections of the network are already in stages of development, according to the paper. In Israel, a railway runs from the port of Haifa to Beit She’an, which is only 10 km from the border with Jordan. In Saudi Arabia, the North-South Railway links the east and center of the country with the north, all the way up to the border with Jordan. READ MORE
