Israel Matzav

Luckily, they won't name a street 'Joe Biden Boulevard'

Remember the Jerusalem apartments that were the subject of a Joe Biden temper tantrum five years ago? Well, we are no closer to 'peace' now than we were then, but those apartments finally have received their final approval to be built. Well, some of them have.

Israel has approved construction of 900 homes in eastern Jerusalem, AFP reported Thursday, shortly after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu formed a new right-wing religious coalition.

The new homes will be built in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo following a decision late Wednesday by the city's district planning committee.

In March 2010, the interior ministry announced a plan to build 1,600 homes in Ramat Shlomo, a haredi neighborhood in the eastern part of the capital.

The announcement came as US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting Israel, provoking fierce American opposition and souring relations with Washington for months.

At the time, then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an angry phone call to Netanyahu, berating him for announcing the building plans, and demanding they be canceled.

In November 2013, the plan passed a further stage of approval but construction was held up because the planning committee said new roads must be built first.

Ramat Shlomo is a Haredi neighborhood, so I don't think they'll be naming any streets after Joe Biden. Too bad. It would be a nice touch of irony. 

Labels: Joe Biden, Ramat Shlomo

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:39 PM