RAMALLAH: Israel began constructing a new Jewish settlement in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, a report said yesterday.
The daily Haaretz said that construction has begun two months ago near Arab Al-Sawahreh neighborhood with permission from the Jewish-dominated Jerusalem municipality, which is one of the owners of the property.
The area is surrounded to the north, south and west with homes in the Palestinian neighborhood and to the east is bordered by the main road of the neighborhood. This will be the sole access road for the new settlement to the southeast of Jerusalem. The area covers 3.5 dunams and the Israeli contractor, Bemuna, plans to build three 7-8 story buildings, comprising 62-66 apartments.
The development came a day after Israeli Army Radio reported that an Israeli Interior Ministry committee has recommended expansion of Ma’aleh Adumim, one of the largest settlements in the West Bank in population and area. The Israeli committee said in its recommendation that the small settlement of Keidar should be integrated into the giant one of Ma’aleh Adumim, along with the 12,000 dunams that lie between the two.
Settlement construction, along with the status of Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugees, is viewed as one of the main obstacles in the stalled Middle East peace process.
Haaretz said that the Israeli planning authorities approved the plans for the new settlement in 2000, at a time when former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert served as mayor of the city and encouraged Jewish settlement in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods.
A spokesman for the municipality said that the new venture is part of a plan for the Jewish Talpiot East neighborhood, and noted that the building permits and the entire process are legal and in line with the authorized city plans.
