On Tuesday, 4 Cheshvan, Israel announced it will expedite the construction of an additional 2,000 housing units in Maale Adumim, Gush Etzion and Yerushalayim. The announcement was a welcome one for many Israelis, but the decision to expedite construction in response to the PA’s acceptance into UNESCO was not viewed as a valid reason for the move.
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni attacked the government statement, stating punitive action is not a legitimate reason for construction and does not serve the national agenda.
Statements were released by officials in Jerusalem on Tuesday after the mini forum-of-eight cabinet called to forge ahead with the construction, a retaliatory move for the UNESCO decision and the ongoing PA (Palestinian Authority) effort to unilaterally achieve statehood, seeking to bypass bilateral talks with Israel.
According to a Makor Rishon report, the breakdown of the new housing calls for homes in Efrat, Har Homa, Ramot and Maale Adumim. Israeli statements on Tuesday explained these are areas that will remain in Israeli hands following any final status agreement with the PA so in essence, the construction is not relevant to the negotiating process with the PA.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
Good for the PM. Nobody can tell Israel where and how many houses to build. Period. And I can assure that the world couldn’t care less that these areas will remain in Israel following a status agreement. They only care that we’re building, which proves that it’s not that we’re expanding that bothers them, it’s that we’re living.
This is dumb. We should not be supporting the notion that we are punishing them by building.
how about 100 or better yet, 1027 new homes for every rocket fired into israel from gaza?!!