JERUSALEM,
March 30, 2015 (WAFA) – The Israeli West Jerusalem municipality Monday approved
a tender to build 142 new housing units in East Jerusalem area, according to
Israeli media website Walla!.
It
reported that the municipality’s committee approved the building of 142 new housing
units in Jabal Abu Ghnaim, recognized by the Israeli government as the illegal
settlement of Har Homa.
Israel
has been approving the building of new housing units in
settlements located in the Palestinian territory, including in East Jerusalem,
despite of international condemnations.
The
United States, along with other world countries, have continuously expressed
concern over Israel’s settlement construction, which is internationally slammed
illegal based on international law.
On
October 27, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave orders for the
construction of 1,060 new housing units in two settlements in East Jerusalem;
660 new units in ‘Ramot Shlomo’, and 400 in ‘Har Homa’, in addition to an
infrastructure project of 12 new settlement roads in the West Bank.
Media reported on United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon criticizing Netanyahu’s aforementioned settlement construction decision, challenging him ‘to show leadership and make compromises for peace.’
Meanwhile, PLO Executive Committee Member, Hanan Ashrawi, in a statement, condemned this Israeli settlement decision, describing it as a blatant defiance of international community, which she stressed, proves that settlement expansion is the fundamental basis of Netanyahu’s new government’s agenda.
She stressed that this decision is an intentional disregard to the principles of the international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, urging for an immediate international response to deter Israel.
Only
last week, the Jerusalem Municipality stated that the “planned construction of
some 1,500 apartments in the capital’s southeastern Har Homa neighborhood has
been frozen.”
The
Jerusalem Post website reported that, “While no rationale for the freeze was provided;
the municipality issued a brief statement Wednesday afternoon saying that the
plan has been “dropped from the agenda of the Interior Ministry’s local
planning committee.” It remains unclear if, or when, the contentious project
will be resumed.”
It
said that some speculate that the construction freeze is an attempt to improve
foundering diplomatic relations - amid
heightened tensions between Netanyahu and Obama’s administration.
It said that, the settlement freeze decision
stands in stark contrast to Netanyahu’s declaration while visiting Har Homa the
day before this month’s election that there is “a way of stopping Bethlehem
from moving toward Jerusalem.”
Netanyahu was quoted as saying, “We will continue
to build in Jerusalem. We will add thousands of residential units and withstand
all the [international] pressure, as we continue to develop our eternal
capital.”
T.R/M.H
