JERUSALEM, Israel – Perhaps to remind Israelis that Israel’s governing coalition has been working on other issues besides judicial reform, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting to announce goals and progress in three other areas: connecting the country with a high-speed rail network, fighting inflation by lowering prices on consumer goods, and accelerating Israel’s involvement in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
On the transportation front, the prime minister announced the launching of the “One Israel” project, “to link the entire country with a fast railway from Kiryat Shemona (in Israel’s far north) to Eilat (Israel’s southernmost city).”
“This project is underway with 100-billion shekel ($27 billiion) multi-year budget, he said, adding, “My vision is that every citizen in the country will be able to go to and from the center of the country, from anywhere in the state, in less than two hours.”
Netanyahu also suggested that the rail line would one day be connected to Saudi Arabia as the Biden administration apparently warms to the idea of fostering improved relations between Israel and the Desert Kingdom.
“In the future, we will be able to transport freight by rail from Eilat to our Mediterranean Sea ports, and we will also be able to link Israel by rail to Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula. We are working on this as well,” he stated.
Fast-moving trains have cut travel time between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport to just 22 minutes, eliminating concerns about traffic jams on the highway and giving both residents and tourists an added travel option.
To fight inflation, the prime minister said that he and his economic panel, including Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, decided to adopt a European model for pricing of consumer goods. “We are putting an end to the absurd situation in which citizens of Israel pay more than citizens of Europe for the same products – merely because of excessive bureaucracy.”
He said in the next Knesset session the government will advance the “Carrefour legislation,” which will “allow suppliers to directly import products to Israel from Europe.”
Netanyahu also addressed a “third revolution” in hi-tech, in addition to transportation advances and the inflation fight. He cited the “Angels law,” approved last week, designed to give tax and investment credits to “jumpstart the Israeli hi-tech industry.” He singled out Science Minister Ofir Akunis for his work in providing infrastructure to Israeli innovations in Artificial Intelligence.
“Whoever seizes the future and turns Israel – this is our plan – into one of the five world superpowers in artificial intelligence. Just as we did in cyber, so we will turn Israeli not into a rising force among the nations, but a superpower among the nations. This is our plan,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister also announced several new laws the government will try to pass in the next Knesset session, including a war on organized crime, laws to protect children from predators, and benefits for physically and mentally wounded members of the armed forces. He took a shot at journalists’ preoccupation with the judicial reform fight, saying, “we are completing several important laws in the Knesset, even if the media does not refer to them, and there is no chance they will.”
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