With Obama out, 566 new Jewish housing units approved in Jerusalem

Jerusalem’s municipality gave approval to a plan – temporarily put on hold during the waning days of Obama’s presidency – to add 566 new housing units in the city.

The municipality of Jerusalem on Sunday approved the construction of 566 new Jewish homes in northern portions of city that were won by Israel from Jordan during the Six Day War of 1967.

“After eight difficult years of Obama, we are continuing to build in Jerusalem,” remarked Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat. “I hope that the era of government delays as a result of political pressures has ended and that we will we able to leave to a big building boom in order to strengthen the sovereignty over a united Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.”

The municipality originally made the building plans in late December after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning construction in areas of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. However, the initiative was postponed in order not to further anger the then-outgoing Obama Administation that had abstained from vetoing the UN Security Council resolution condemning Jewish communities in those areas.

The new housing units will be built in the neighborhoods of Ramot and Ramat Shlomo in the northwestern parts of Jerusalem as well as in Pisgat Ze’ev, which lies more to the east.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, called upon the UN Security Council to take action in stopping the Jerusalem municipality from moving forward with the construction plans. “We call on Security Council for urgent action based on resolution 2334, to put an end to the extremist policy of the Israeli government which is destroying the two-state solution,” he charged in a statement.

Meanwhile, Jerusalem’s municipality is also expected to start discussions regarding the authorization of 5,600 additional housing units in both northern and southern portions of the city.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News