Jerusalem building freeze halting plans for 6,000 housing units

Neither the Jerusalem Municipality nor the Housing Ministry confirmed or denied an Army Radio report on Monday that claimed the government has ordered a de facto construction freeze for 6,000 housing units in the capital.

According to Army Radio, 2,200 units will be halted in the neighborhoods of Gilo, several thousand in Har Homa, and hundreds more in Pisgat Ze’ev, over the Green Line.

The report comes less than two months after Construction Minister Yoav Gallant announced plans to construct 25,000 homes in the capital, with 15,000 beyond the Green Line, including in Ramot Shlomo, Gilo, Pisgat Ze’ev, Neve Yaakov and Atarot.

Gallant’s announcement, which came one month before Jerusalem Day marking the 50th anniversary of the reunification of the capital, followed US President Donald Trump’s February request to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington to “hold back on settlements.”

During an Israel Radio interview, Gallant said the ministry has been working closely in coordination with the Jerusalem Municipality for the past two years on the initiative.

“We will build 10,000 units in Jerusalem and some 15,000 within the [extended] municipal boundaries of Jerusalem,” he said. “It will happen.”

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat swiftly condemned the announcement as a violation of international law and “deliberate sabotage” of a two-state solution.

 

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