Israel's Housing Ministry is set to bring forward plans for further settlement construction between East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, as US Secretary of State John Kerry extended his Mideast peace mission, Ma'an News reported, quoting Israeli media.
Israel's Jerusalem Municipality's finance committee is expected to approve the construction of 930 apartments in the illegal settlement of Har Homa, which was built on the Palestinian village of Jabal Abu Ghneim, Israeli Hebrew language newspaper Maariv reported.The construction will isolate East Jerusalem village Sur Baher from the city.The project, which was approved in 2011 by the ministry of interior, was frozen for "political reasons," the newspaper wrote.The plan has passed all the preliminary stages, Maariv wrote.
Further settlement expansion in what Israel calls Har Homa C is considered a "red line" by the Palestinian Authority and the US.The report comes as Kerry is scheduled to meet PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah Sunday, marking the third meeting between the two aimed at restarting peace talks that have been stalled for nearly three years. Kerry met with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu a day earlier.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten