JERUSALEM, June 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Israel has offered the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) a rail line linking the Gaza Strip and West Bank that would enable passage between them after the disengagement, local newspaper Ha'aretz reported Tuesday.  

    According to the proposal, the rails would run from the Erez checkpoint in the northern part of the Gaza Strip to the Tarqumiy acrossing near the West Bank city of Hebron.

    The idea was approved by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon before it was presented to the PNA, said the report.

    The Palestinian coordination team, headed by Minister of Civil Affairs Mohammad Dahlan, insisted that Israel commit to operating the "safe passage" between the Gaza Strip and West Bank.  

    Ha'aretz commented that the link is important to the Palestinians, as it reflects that the disengagement is not "Gaza first and Gaza last" and the affinity between the two parts of the PNA will be preserved in the future.

    The train plan is to be discussed Tuesday at a meeting between the Israeli coordination team, the international Quartet's special envoy, James Wolfensohn, and the American security coordinator, Lieutenant General William Ward.  Enditem