Tuesday, July 13, 2010

East J'lem building approved


BEN HARTMAN
07/12/2010 21:50

32 home approval comes days after Netanyahu's meeting with Obama.


The Jerusalem building and planning committee on Monday approved plans for 32 new housing units in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev. The approval comes only days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, where Netanyahu agreed to advance talks with the Palestinian Authority. Chairman of the building and planning committee Kobi Kahalon had postponed a hearing on the building plan set for last week, so that it would not coincide with Netanyahu’s visit to the White House.

In March, a diplomatic rift was caused between the U.S. and Israel when the Israeli government announced plans to build 1,300 houses in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, the same day Vice President Joe Biden arrived for a sate visit.

While the houses approved on Monday will be built in a previously established neighborhood that the Palestinians have agreed in the past will stay part of Israel under a future final status agreement, the decision to approve the plan goes against a request made recently by the Paestinian Authority for a building freeze in all land seized in the Six Day War, as a pre-condition for a continuation of proximity talks.

No comments: