Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced on Tuesday during a conference in Tel Aviv that if elected his Kadima party would freeze spending on construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
"It's no secret that we won't invest in coming years the same sums we invested in construction and infrastructure development in areas over the Green Line," Olmert said, according to the AP and Haaretz.
Also at Tuesday's conference, which focused on Israeli infrastructure projects, Olmert said that the funds initially intended for settlement construction would be reallocated to projects throughout Israel proper.
"Israel will take giant steps in development and that will change the face of the state," he said.
