Israel Matzav

Israel announces 2,500 new apartments in 'east' Jerusalem, Obama-Kerry silent

On Wednesday, the city of Jerusalem announced the approval of 2,500 new apartments in 'east' Jerusalem. There was no outcry from Obama-Kerry or from Ban Ki-Moon. And there won't be one either. You see, these apartments are for Arabs, and you can bet that they will be 100% completely Judenrein. What's worse, those apartments are accompanied by the reversal of approval for 2,500 Jewish units in 'east' Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. You see, our spineless Prime Minister has become as much of a messianic as John FN Kerry.

This is from the first link.

The houses will be built in the Al-Sawahira Al-Gharbiyya neighborhood near Armon HaNetziv, according to Walla! News, home to some 27,000 Israeli Arabs. 

The expansion plan was formulated for over a year and a half, with the help of the leftist "Bimakom" (Heb: "In its place") group, which is engaged in promoting "equal rights" in matters of city planning.

Nationalist politicians and city councilmen reacted with shock to the announcement, after exactly 2,500 building tenders for Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria were frozen Monday by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu due to US threats of a "covert building freeze."  

Jerusalem City Councilman Aryeh King filed an administrative appeal with the Jerusalem District Court over the ruling - which he, along with many others, have seen as discriminatory - and threatened to quit the coalition in the event the tenders are not revoked.

"This is crazy," King said, "and runs contrary to a previous decision not to go ahead with the program until the building committee can confirm the need for large-scale construction in Arab neighborhoods."

King maintained that the plan also "was put forward by the leftists to establish their own the demographic balance in the city, and link Area B to the downtown area - all of this without discussing the issue with the city council."

"Nir Barkat is endangering the city," he added. 

The office of Mayor Nir Barkat said in response, "the Jerusalem Municipality's urban planning constitutes a clear expression of sovereignty over all parts of the city and strengthening the unity of Jerusalem."

"The absence of the Municipality in urban planning may create a difficult situation, and it is dangerous to approve specific programs under the auspices of a court without relating to a range of considerations regarding neighborhoods in, and public buildings missing in, East Jerusalem," it added. "The alternative to municipal urban planning is illegal construction of thousands of housing units and taking over large areas, along with damage to the environment and to an Israeli sovereignty over a united Jerusalem."

You mean Barkat actually thinks that this shows Jewish sovereignty over the Arab-populated neighborhoods of the city? Really? And by the way, the solution to illegal building is to enforce the law.... 

And about Netanyahu's withdrawal of those 2,500 units for Jews....

Cabinet Secretary Gen. (res.) Avichai Mandelblit was tasked with drafting the plans for 1,500 units in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood in southern Jerusalem, and another 1,000 units in Judea and Samaria communities including Ariel, Emanuel, and Beitar Illit.

The bid publications were prepared and ready to go - until Netanyahu at the very last minute waffled and changed his mind, canning the plan right before it was to be published.

Apparently Mandelblit told community leaders in Judea and Samaria that the international pressure placed on Israel during and following Operation Protective Edge has led Netanyahu to fear an international "crisis" if he were to announce plans for new Jewish houses.

"The national status after Operation Protective Edge is explosive and complicated," a senior official told Walla!, siding with Mandelblit. "Israel needs to act carefully and not initiate new crises, that will be added to the unavoidable crises created by the operation."

The international pressure was demonstrated on Sunday, when Israel declared 4,000 dunams (988 acres) in Judea as state land - an announcement which was immediately met by a firm condemnation by US President Barack Obama's administration.

Judea and Samaria council chief Dani Dayan is steaming. 

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Dayan said that the bureaucratic snafu that was holding up development of plans in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria was choking off the life-force of these communities. “For months the government committees and the Housing Ministry have not issued any tenders for construction. It's true that development plans made in the past are now bearing fruit, but without new tenders construction will soon dry up,” he said.

In the past, governments responded to world political pressure against construction in “a more courageous manner. We were told that building would not be allowed publicly, but behind the scenes they would tell us to build outposts, which would later be legalized. Today the government doesn't have the courage to do this.”

Dayan worries that a crisis is developing in the settlement movement. “We cannot be satisfied with what we have accomplished. Any area that is not growing will eventually be lost. Building and growing must be a priority, even if there are pressures. We must bring the settlement issue back into the center of priorities, even if it has to be done politically. If we can't accomplish this now, we are setting a precedent for the future as well.”

אין שלום, אין ביטחון, ביבי כשלון (There is no peace, there is no security, Bibi is a failure). Yes, I know that was the Left's slogan in the 1999 election campaign, but perhaps it's time for the Right to dust it off. 

Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, City of Jerusalem, Dani Dayan, East Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria construction, Nir Barkat

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:49 AM