Israel’s Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz denounced the European Union's decisiuon to boycott a tour of the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem express train line Friday ‘’because the route passes beyond the Green Line."

In fact, a portion of the railway route passes through Area C of the West Bank, an area which, according to the Oslo Accords, is under full Israeli civil as well as military control.

The EU’s representative in Israel, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, persuaded the ambassadors of foreign countries in Israel to boycott the tour. The Israeli foreign ministry issued invitations to all ambassadors serving in Israel several weeks ago, and the tour was scheduled for a date in early June.

But after the EU diplomats declined to join the tour, the Israeli Transport Ministry scrapped the entire visit.

The minister responded: "Dear Mr. Anderson, we are not a banana republic. The train will operate starting next Passover, and if you do not like it, you can continue to take the old Turkish route."

Several hundred meters of an underground section of the rail line are over the so-called '’Green Line.'

“The Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast train line is a national project that will connect the capital of Israel to all parts of the country and is being built in accordance with the laws of the State of Israel for the benefit of the entire population of the region and with the approval of the Supreme Court,” the minister said.

“In this context, the ambassadors from the foreign countries were invited to see and get an impression of this important undertaking. The intervention of the ambassador from the European Union and his attempt to prevent the ambassadors from coming constitutes inappropriate interference in the internal affairs of the State of Israel. Are they boycotting the fast train to Jerusalem? In advance of the next date set for the tour, I will personally approach the ambassadors of the countries from which companies have taken part in building the project and will ask them to come,” Katz said.

EJP