Israel speed up the pace of settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank (Reuters - Archive)
Media sources in Israel on Sunday for a settlement plan prepared by the Municipality of Jerusalem in Israel to build more than 60 thousand housing units will be established in the settlements of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, in light of ongoing international responses condemning Israel for its continued settlement policies.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv newspaper on Sunday it obtained the document included details of a plan this large building, which was put on the table for the Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat last week. According to the document, most of the reserve land allocated for the construction of these units are located in East Jerusalem.
The paper said more than 52 thousand housing units will be built beyond the Green Line and to request blessings of this scheme to solve the housing problems taking place in Jerusalem, which cause negative migration of the young Jews of the city.
The newspaper said it was approved to start construction of 20 thousand new housing units in seven neighborhoods in East Jerusalem settlements, to be the construction of three thousand units only in West Jerusalem, according to the document published.
Also provides for the planned construction of approximately 14 thousand housing units deposited Contractors plans for construction of the Planning Commission and local building in the municipality of Jerusalem, the newspaper pointed out that approximately 23 thousand additional housing units are still in the planning stages, different, and in accordance with the scheme it will not start to build in the near future.
The government of Israeli security cabinet agreed Tuesday to speed up the construction of thousands of homes in Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, a day after the admission of Palestine at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of the United Nations (UNESCO), which brought responses international anger towards Israel.
UN condemnationThe Amnesty International called on the Israeli government Thursday to halt plans to expand the building - which it described as non-legitimate - in the settlements in the West Bank, the organization said it has repeatedly called for an immediate end to the construction and expansion of settlements and related infrastructure in the Palestinian territories occupied.
It accuses the Israeli government of violating international law in establishing settlements in the Palestinian territories and preservation, noting that the adoption of an occupied country, an official policy to transfer parts of its own civilian population into occupied territory, "amounts to a war crime," and can be subject to investigation by the International Criminal Court.
And each of the United States and the United Nations and European countries have condemned in the past week, Israel's decision to speed up the settlement in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, in response to the admission of Palestine to UNESCO.
Despite all the criticism, expressed the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on his Government's decision to expand in its settlement, and said that his government's decision to accelerate construction in the settlements, "a fundamental right and not a punishment" to grant Palestine full membership in UNESCO.
He added that Israel "will build wherever they want in Jerusalem the eternal capital", including in the eastern part of the holy city, which the Palestinians want to make it the capital of the state desired.
Source: Al Jazeera + and agencies