JERUSALEM, March 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Thursday that Israel would continue to build settlements in a disputed area near Jerusalem despite U.S. pressure if his Kadima party won the March 28 general elections.

    "It is inconceivable that we should speak of Ma'aleh Adumim as a part of the state of Israel while leaving it as an island or an isolated enclave," said Olmert, cited by local newspaper Ha'aretz.

    Olmert said for several times that Israel would retain the major West Bank Jewish settlements, like Ariel, Gush Etzion and Ma'aleh Adumim.

    "It's entirely clear that the (territorial) continuity between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim will be a built-up continuity. This is clear both to the Palestinians and to the Americans. In my view, there is an absolute consensus in Israel on this issue," he said.

    Turning to the issues of borders with the Palestinians, Olmert said that if his Kadima party won the March general elections, Israel would set down permanent borders within four years, separating itself from the "decisive majority" of the Palestinian population in the West Bank.

    "In four years' time, Israel will be separated from a decisivemajority of the Palestinian population, within new borders," hesaid.

    The guiding principle for delineating the permanent borders would be "ingathering (isolated residents of outlying settlements) into large settlement blocs and thickening these settlement blocs."

    "I don't want to get into their precise definitions now, but everyone knows that Gush Etzion will remain within the state of Israel and the Ariel bloc will remain within the state of Israel, and the Jerusalem Envelope (the city and its environs) will be part of the state, as well as Ma'aleh Adumim," he said.

    Israel withdrew from the entire Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank last summer, but has vowed to keep largeset tlements in the West Bank in any possible future deals with the Palestinians.

    According to the road map peace plan backed by the U.S., Israel should freeze all settlement expansion activities. Enditem