Bush's Jerusalem Retreat

Despite the war and contrary to previous reports that plans had been put on hold, the prime minister's office is set to allocate some NIS 20 million to complete the construction of its new offices comprising the prime minister's official residence.

On completion of the building, Israel will join the list of countries that maintains official homes for entertaining state officials, as is customary in the US, Japan, France and numerous other countries.

Israel currently hosts its high profile guests at ordinary hotels in Jerusalem. This created several problems for Jerusalemites who often got caught up in long traffic jams when such VIP's, including the prime minister himself were required to drive through the streets of the capital.

The lack of an official state residence also incurred high costs in security. Moreover, many of the official events were conducted out in the open in bad weather conditions. Hosting VIP's in a closed and guarded complex will solve the problem for Jerusalemites and state visitors alike.

According to Raanan Dinur, the Director General at the Prime Minister’s office, the building will be completed within four years after being approved by the planning committee.

Functional and Ceremonial

The new building is set to be constructed on the National Boulevard in Jerusalem where many of the new government offices are located.

The new prime minister's office was designed by architect Ram Carmi, the recipient of the Israel Prize for architecture. Sources at the prime minister's office say the building will be modest but not ascetic. It will be both functional and ceremonial.

The building is set to comprise the prime minister's office, recreation rooms for ministers, a regal ceremonial hall, an extensive reception area, large lobby, a banqueting hall, a press hall, communication center, cafeteria, fitness room, a kitchen on each floor and underground parking for hundreds of vehicles.

The new building will cover an area of thousands of square meters in the form of a round egg with large glass triangles protruding from it.

Y Net News
09.29.2006