Land Authority publishes tender for first ever Ma’aleh Adumim hotel
Israel has long held that Ma’aleh Adumim would be part of its sovereign territory in any two-state arrangement with the Palestinians
By TOVAH LAZAROFFMaaleh Adumim with sign 370(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Lands Authority has published a tender for the construction of the first ever hotel in the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, the city spokesman reported.The city’s mayor, Benny Kashriel, touted the “revolutionary” significance of the move. His city of over 38,200 people is located just outside of Jerusalem and off of Route 1, en route to the Dead Sea, the Ein Gedi nature reserve, the historic Masada hilltop, the Sea of Galilee and Eilat. The city hopes a hotel will help it capitalize on its location.Ma’aleh Adumim will now be a strategic hub for foreign tourists, Kashriel hopes. With the addition of a hotel, the “city’s amazing views and its close proximity to important tourist sites in Israel will surely transform Ma’aleh Adumim into a central city on Israel’s tourism map,” he said.The 3,000 square meter hotel is expected to be a maximal height of six stories. Entrepreneurs have been invited to submit proposals for a hotel that will be on property now under the auspices of the IDF’s Custodian of Abandoned Properties.Hagit Ofran of Peace Now said tenders have unsuccessfully been published for hotels in Ma’aleh Adumim in the past. Such development should be inside of sovereign Israel and not outside of it, she said, adding that it does not serve Israel’s interest to encourage tourism in the West Bank settlements.Israel has long held that Ma’aleh Adumim, which is considered a settlement bloc, would be part of its sovereign territory into any final status arrangement with the Palestinians for a two-state solution. The Palestinians believe that the territory on which the city sits in an integral part of its future sovereign state.Right-wing politicians have pushed for Israel to annex Ma’aleh Adumim in advance of any arrangement with the Palestinians or the publication of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised that if he retains his office, he will apply sovereignty to all the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, including Ma’aleh Adumim.
