Israel’s illegal settlement in Jerusalem. PHOTO/Reuters
As reported by i24NewsTV, Saturday (26/11/2021), which quoted The Times of Israel, a senior Israeli official said the plan was removed from the agenda for a meeting of the Jerusalem District Planning and Development Committee on December 6.
Read: Israel Builds 17,000 Jewish Homes in Jerusalem, Excludes Palestine
The project, which received permission from the Jerusalem municipal government on Wednesday, will see the construction of 9,000 housing units – aimed at ultra-Orthodox Jews – in the Atarot community at the abandoned airport. As part of the post-1967 expanded Jerusalem, the area lies outside the Green Line.
The international community as well as the Palestinian Authority condemned Atarot’s proposal, claiming that it would strengthen Israel’s presence in the area meant to be the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Furthermore, critics believe that the construction will make coexistence between Palestinian and Jewish families difficult.
Read: Jordan to Supply Electricity to Houses in Illegal Israeli Settlements
Following the city government’s approval, US State Department officials expressed their disapproval of the plan even after Israeli officials explained that progress was only preliminary, and final approval could take months if not years, ToI reported.
The possible revival of the Atarot project comes amid Israel’s progress from other controversial construction projects in and around Jerusalem. Last month, the takeover of public land for the controversial Givat HaMatos neighborhood was approved by the Jerusalem planning committee, according to the ToI.
An Israeli panel also put forward plans in April this year to build 540 residential units in east Jerusalem’s controversial Har Homa area.
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