Benny Elon: Not while I’m Minister of Tourism.
Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Eilat’s development would make great strides in the coming years, including a railway line from the central region, a large amusement park, and possible even a casino.
Netanyahu was speaking at a prime minister’s conference for tourism. He said that an amusement park would be opened north of Eilat, and added that a decision on a railway line to Eilat would be taken soon, which would boost tourism in the town. Minister of Tourism Binyamin (Benny) Elon, on the other hand, said that no casino would open in Eilat while he was minister.
Elon harshly criticized the Ministry of Finance, saying that it had not invested sufficient resources in tourism, which constituted the economy’s growth engine. Netanyahu answered for the speakers platform, “If you bring the tourists, we’ll pay.”
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on February 24, 2004