OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel has announced a plan for the construction of 2610 housing units in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Hamatos.
The Israeli municipality in Jerusalem said that Deputy Mayor Kobi Kahlon has signed an order approving the construction of some 2,500 homes in Givat Hamatos.
Anti-settlement group (Peace Now) said the approval involved 2,610 units.
The move, news of which came just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington, was largely symbolic, as the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee had in December 2012 formally announced that it would launch the major construction project at the site, in the south of the city, according to the (The Times of Israel).
Peace Now criticized the committee's decision, calling it "destructive" and asserting that the advancement of the project would harm efforts to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians. (QNA)
