Israel Planning Thousands of New Homes in Occupied E.Jerusalem

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For the first time since Har Homa was established, during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first term, in the late 1990s, a new Jewish neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem is slated for building. On Tuesday a reparcelization plan was published for Givat Hamatos, in south of occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem). The plan calls for building 2,610 residential units, one third of them as part of an expansion of the Palestinian village of Beit Safafa, on the southern border of the capital. The land included in the construction plans is occupied by the Israeli entity. Objections or reservations to the plan must be submitted within 60 days of the plan's publication. A report about the intention to establish the neighborhood reached Washington and European capitals on the eve of the Sukkot holiday, sparking criticism from U.S. and European officials. Right-wing activists are likely to object to the idea of using public land to build more housing for a Palestinian neighborhood. Beit Safafa suffers for severe overcrowding, and very few building permits have been issued for the neighborhood. The plan to build 1,700 homes for Jews in Givat Hamatos is more satisfactory for settlers than the 1,100 new residences planned for Gilo, which earned a sharp rebuke to Netanyahu.

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