Ma’aleh Adumim Mayor Doubts Olmert
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The mayor of Ma’aleh Adumim, Benny Kashriel, on Sunday cast doubt on a commitment Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made in newspaper interviews last week to construct a controversial building project between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim within the next four years.
“Out of experience, I am wary of believing pre-elections declarations,” Kashriel said…
Kashriel noted that before the last elections, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made a similar pledge to build in the area, only to hold off on the plans during his time in office.
The mayor added that there were three additional steps needed before work on the plan could start, steps which could take years. These include submitting the building plans to authorities, approving the plans, and putting the plots of land up sale, he said.
“If he is really serious about building the area, then he should let us get started on the first step,” he said, noting that Olmert had told him that he would only make a decision on the matter after the March 28 elections.
Olmert’s pledges to build E1 within the next four years came six months after he became the first senior Israeli official to publicly confirm that Israel had frozen the controversial building plans in the wake of American pressure.
At the time, Olmert told the Post that Israel made the commitment to the Americans last year when final approval of the plan, known as E1, seemed imminent.
In the months since, Olmert’s chief political rival, Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu, has repeatedly seized on the freeze on building to call into question the government’s determination to strengthen both Jerusalem and the major settlement blocs, such as the nearby Ma’aleh Adumim.
