32 homes approved in Pisgat Ze’ev

The occupied Jerusalem district planning and construction committee approved the construction of 32 housing units in the eastern neighborhood of “Pisgat Ze’ev”, on land occupied by Israel in 1967.

Members of the committee said Monday, just one week after a meeting between US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that contractors could begin construction immediately.

For the past two weeks the committee had postponed the decision due to political pressure caused by the meeting between the heads of state.

The 32 units are just a small part of the project, which includes 220 homes to be built near the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Hizma. The committee is set to approve another 48 units next week.

Two weeks ago, the Israeli media announced that the municipality had tried to approve the construction of the units by striking the name of the neighborhood from the committee’s schedule, but was blocked by the Meretz faction and forced to postpone the vote.