Caesarea and Or Akiva to discuss merger

The merger of the two neighboring towns has been on the Interior Ministry's drawing board for some time.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
The towns of Caesarea and Or Akiva moved one step closer to a merger last week after they agreed to meet for discussions and come up with an agreement on the subject by next month, reports Yediot Haifa. Knesset member Moshe Kahlon (Likud), sitting in the Interior Ministry's mergers committee, suggested that the two towns be given time to discuss the matter and reach an agreement, and city representatives agreed to do so within 30 days. According to the report, the merger of the two neighboring towns has been on the Interior Ministry's drawing board for some time, but their very different characters have been a source of conflict. Or Akiva has some 20,000 residents on 4,000 dunams, while the wealthy enclave of Caesarea has just 4,500 residents on 30,000 dunams. "We need to remember that we are speaking about two neighboring settlements that have lived together with good relations for decades," Kahlon said. "It would be a mistake to cause a breach between them … but Caesarea needs to show more understanding and generosity toward its neighbor, although this doesn't negate the contribution Caesarea has made in recent years to Or Akiva."