Jerusalem mayor, Interior Minister reject construction freeze for east Jerusalem
Posted on 13. May, 2010 by Buy-It In Israel Staff in Israel Real Estate
Real estate in East Jerusalem
Jerusalem’s mayor Nir Barkat this week urgently called the government not to stop building in east Jerusalem, after the US claimed to have received approvals from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that Israel would freeze Jewish construction in Ramat Shlomo for two years.
Barkat was confident that the Interior and Housing ministries will approve construction projects, which will assist in the efforts to stop the migration from Jerusalem.
“We trust that the prime minister will not allow a freeze, neither in words nor deeds,” said Barkat
Ramat Shlomo is located in east Jerusalem on a ridge between Ramot Alon and Shuafat. Demand for housing in the area is very high and supply has become scarce limiting the availability of affordable housing.
Barkat said that there was only a temporary freeze because of the strained relations with the US regarding the approval of an additional 1,600 housing units in east Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo, which was revealed during US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel last month and caused a lot of uproar.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Eli Yishai confirmed that Israel had not agreed to freeze construction in east Jerusalem, and that Israel would not bend down to US demands to do so. Yishai who is the head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party stated that there never has been a freeze on construction in Jerusalem, nor will there ever be.
Raising concern over the housing crisis in Jerusalem real estate forcing many residents to leave the capital, Yishai promised to advance plans and speed up the process for planning and construction in particular in Jerusalem and in general across Israel.
At the beginning of May, Palestinian Authority negotiator chief Saeb Erekat said that as part of US-mediated proximity talks with Israel, the Palestinians would only agree to direct talks if Israel imposes a complete settlement construction freeze.
© Copyright 2010
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