Israel plans building 4000 new housing units south of occupied Jerusalem

[ 25/10/2011 - 09:27 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– The Israeli government has recently endorsed the building of a new Jewish suburb south of occupied Jerusalem that envisages the construction of 4000 housing units, Hebrew press reported on Monday.

Yediot Ahronot said on its website on Monday that the construction and planning committee has endorsed the first stage, which includes the building of 2610 housing units, of the three-stage project.

It added the committee would meet again early next December to endorse the second and third stages of the project, which on completion would be the biggest since the establishment of Jabal Abu Ghuneim suburb.

The report noted that the project would complete the isolation of the southern part of eastern Jerusalem from the West Bank.

Source and more at the Palestinian Information Center

Israel: Building in East Jerusalem non-negotiable

Oct 2, 2011, 10:17 GMT

Jerusalem - Israel's ongoing building projects in East Jerusalem are non-negotiable, the country's deputy premier said Sunday, despite international criticism that construction in the disputed city is impeding peace talks with the Palestinians.

Silvan Shalom said Israel would continue to build in Jewish 'neighbourhoods' of Jerusalem, beyond the armistice line separating Israel from the occupied West Bank.

'Jerusalem has always been a place where construction has met with objections,' he told Israel Radio.

'These issues are being taken into consideration, but are outside any possibility to negotiate,' he said.

Israel last week announced plans to build 1,100 new housing units in Gilo, a part of Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem captured from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East War.

Israel regards it as a Jewish suburb of Jerusalem, the international community and the Palestinians as an illegal settlement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel angrily condemned the decision in a Friday telephone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The announcement of the building plans also came as the quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia - launched a fresh attempt to convince the sides to relaunch peace negotiations.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1666277.php/Israel-Building-in-East-Jerusalem-non-negotiable