Opponents of the planned construction of 800 new housing units in the Gilo area of the southern capital accuse Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of taking advantage of the upcoming elections, using the controversial construction to win right-wing votes.
The United States and European Union have continued to release statements opposing renewed construction in “occupied areas of Jerusalem”, and Gilo, home to tens of thousands of residents is viewed as “occupied by the US and EU, one of the areas liberated in the June 1967 Six Day War.
The approval for the new homes was given months ago, and that announcement was met with condemnatory statements from officials from the Western countries mentioned.
At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday morning 5 Cheshvan 5773, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to construction in the capital, explaining building in Yerushalayim is no different than building in Paris and Moscow.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
This shows what antisemites we’re dealing with, and we should treat them as exactly that. Gilo was never owned by Arabs; the original owners from whom the state compulsorily acquired the land were Jewish. It’s not “occupied” in any sense. And even it if was, why should it be Judenrein? Those criticizing it (including the US State Department) are simply antisemites, who would never dare criticize a black person who decided to live in an area populated by racist whites, but would forcibly prevent a Jew from living in his own country if it upsets the local Arabs.