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Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4419046.stm
Israel's "Linchpin" Settlement
(BBC News) Raffi Berg - On a hill east of Jerusalem stands the settlement of Maale Adumim, home to 30,000. When Israeli Prime Minister Sharon unveiled his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, he made clear that part of that plan would involve strengthening the major settlement blocs in the West Bank - of which Maale Adumim is the largest. "These will be an integral part of the State of Israel in any future agreement [with the Palestinians]," he said in December 2003, a position endorsed by President Bush some months later. Official spokesman Mark Regev denies that construction work in Maale Adumim is a violation of the roadmap peace plan. "Israel takes our roadmap commitments very seriously and is acting in accordance with them. We have a policy not to build new settlements or outwardly expand existing settlements," he said.