Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski presented on Wednesday the municipality's new plan for the development of east Jerusalem and said he believed the government would support it, Army Radio reported. The NIS 200 million program, dubbed the "Marshall Plan," outlines ways to address several problematic issues in east Jerusalem, which is generally considered to be a neglected sector of the city compared to Jewish neighborhoods.
The first area of improvement would involve an overhaul of the eastern neighborhoods' infrastructure, including roads, sewage systems, and the general appearance of its streets, including parking solutions.
Additionally, the municipality seeks to cultivate public spaces and to develop east Jerusalem's educational, recreational and cultural facilities, improving tourism and providing new employment options.
The plan also calls to develop new housing projects.
The Marshal Plan is a combination of a number of development plans from years past which ultimately fell through, due to officials' claims that there were insufficient funds to execute them.
Lupolianski's recent revival of the plan, Army Radio said, was seen by some as a statement against the government: Vice Premier Haim Ramon has suggested that the transfer of jurisdiction over some Arab neighborhoods to the Palestinian Authority could be part of a future final status agreement, and has further stated that the issue of Jerusalem should be discussed at the upcoming Middle East conference in Annapolis.
But Lupolianski said he believed the government would support the program.
"The prime minister does not intend to divide and partition the city with walls. Regarding things that were said mostly by Ramon, I don't think the prime minister agrees, and I have no doubt that the government will support [us] in order to maintain Jerusalem's status as the capital of Israel.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
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