Backlash: Israel Orders New Building in East Jerusalem

An Israeli official said the accelerated construction is an answer to the moves being made by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation in pursuit of statehood recognition. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Backlash: Israel Orders New Building in East Jerusalem

Tenders for fresh "housing units" made public as Netanyahu government decides to freeze tax revenues to Palestinians.

Israel's prime minister has ordered the building of 2,000 new housing units for Israelis, mainly in East Jerusalem, an area Palestinians claim as the capital of their future state.

Binyamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday that the new construction includes settlements that he believes would be part of Israel in a future peace accord. Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land are considered illegal under international law.

Israel also decided on Tuesday to freeze the transfer of tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority, as a punitive measure after Palestine was granted full membership in UNESCO, media reports said.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Forum of Eight senior ministers, chaired by Netanyahu, Israel's public radio said.

An Israeli official said the accelerated construction is an answer to the moves being made by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation in pursuit of statehood recognition.

He was speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

"You can't demand from the Israeli public to continue to show restraint when the Palestinian leadership continues to slam the door in their face," said the official.

He also said 1,650 of the new tenders are for units in eastern parts of Jerusalem, and the rest are for Efrat and Maale
Adumim, two illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians object to Jewish housing in East Jerusalem and demand an end to all construction in the settlements before peace talks can resume. Israel rejects that as a precondition.

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.