The Knesset Economics Committee conducted a special tour of Ariel Sunday morning, and held a meeting there. At the meeting, MK Ofir Akunis (Likud), chairman of the Committee, said that "Ariel will be under Israeli sovereignty in any permanent settlement. We came here to help the city during this period of the building freeze in Judea and Samaria.
"The decision last week to officially make Ariel's institution of higher learning into a University is also a symbol of the city's status as a major city in Israel, and it will remain so forever," Akunis said.