Israel approves 1,700 new homes in East Jerusalem
AFP reported that Israel’s authorities have approved the building of just over 1,700 homes in East Jerusalem.
Israeli NGO, Peace Now said on December 6 that the authorities have approved the establishment of a “new neighborhood” which will include 1,738 new houses in the occupied territory.
In 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the six-day war, an illegal move under international law.
“If it weren’t for the war (between Hamas and Israel), there would be a lot of noise. It’s a highly problematic project for the continuity of a Palestinian state between the southern West Bank and east Jerusalem,” Hagit Ofran of Peace Now told the press.
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The territory is home to 595,000 inhabitants of which 234,000 are Israeli settlers and 361,000 are Palestinian Arabs.
The NGO also said in a statement, “Half of the Lower Aqueduct neighborhood is situated beyond the Green Line in east Jerusalem, and the other half is within the Green Line.
“However, its strategic location between the neighborhoods of Givat Hamatos and Har Homa makes it particularly problematic from a political standpoint.”
The Green Line refers to the demarcation line set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between the armies of Israel and those of its neighbours (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria). The line served as defacto borders of the Israeli state from 1949 up until the six-day war.
AFP/Peace Now
