 | I'm sure it'll produce a more spectacular explosion than a bus... |
| Drat. And here I was working up a good bullet train pun... |
Israel is weighing a proposal to link the Gaza Strip and West Bank by a train that would allow Palestinians to travel between the territories without posing a security threat, Israeli political sources said on Tuesday. They said Vice Premier Shimon Peres plans to ask the World Bank to help raise funding for the project if it is approved, seeing a train link as a way to counter charges that Israel will effectively maroon Gaza Palestinians when it quits the occupied strip later this year. Israeli and Palestinian officials were not immediately available to comment on the train proposal, which appeared to be a retread of the "safe passage" road between the West Bank and Gaza enshrined in 1993 interim Middle East peace accords. That road was closed off soon after negotiations stalled and a Palestinian uprising erupted in September 2000, with Israeli officials citing concern it could be used by suicide bombers. |