Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., August 25, 2009 Elul 5, 5769 | | Israel Time: 08:56 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Focus U.S.A. Travel Week's End Anglo File
Share |
Plans for largest East Jerusalem settlement filed for approval
By Nir Hasson
Tags: settlements, israel news 

A plan for the building of a new settlement, Ma'aleh David, in the middle of an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem was filed for approval by the relevant municipal committee at the Jerusalem Municipality. The plan calls for the construction of 104 housing units on the land where the former headquarters of the Judea and Samaria police was housed in the neighborhood of Ras al-Amud.

The new settlement is planned to be connected to an existing Jewish neighborhood, Ma'aleh Zeitim, and together will be occupied by some 200 families, forming the largest Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.

The plan is being promoted by the right-wing group Elad.
Advertisement

The land on which the new housing is planned was, until 18 months ago, the compound of the Judea and Samaria police headquarters, which has since moved to a new building in Area E-1. Once the police evacuated the area it returned to the control of the Committee of the Bokharan Community, which has held ownership over the property and the structures there since before 1948.

Last week the Committee filed the plans with the local municipal committee for approval.

According to the plan, the former police structure will be razed and replaced by seven structures ranging between four and five stories in height, and incorporating 104 housing units.

The plan involves high-end housing and the complex will include a swimming pool, mini "country club," community library and parking spaces. A synagogue, kindergartens and a mikveh (Jewish ritual purification bath) are also planned for construction there.

A foot bridge will connect the new settlement with existing ones on the other side of the road. The settlement of Ma'aleh Zeitim across the street currently houses 51 families and in its second phase of development, which is currently being completed, another 66 housing units are being built.

When the two neighborhoods are completed and linked, a Jewish settlement of more than 1,000 people will be situated in the heart of Ras al-Amud, a neighborhood comprised of 14,000 Palestinians.

Officially, the building plans and the request for approval were filed by the Committee of the Bokharan Community, but sources at the Jerusalem Municipality believe settler organizations are behind the project.

The same sources said the plans, as they currently stand, will likely be changed and less units will be built. However, in the long run it will be difficult to prevent the project with the existing statutory measures, since there is no dispute over the ownership of the land, or whether the area is designated for residential construction projects.

Yudith Oppenheimer, the executive director of Ir Amim, a non-governmental group that monitors Jewish settlement activity in East Jerusalem, told Haaretz: "A two-state solution requires provisions for Palestinian building in East Jerusalem. The goal of this plan is to establish facts on the ground on a scale that would thwart such a solution. Advancement of this plan will stoke the flames in Jerusalem and is liable to lead to a Hebronization of the city."

Related articles:
  • Democratic rep. criticizes Obama demand for Israeli settlement freeze
  • Obama in Ramadan message: U.S. unyielding in support for Palestinian state
  • Obama urges renewed Mideast peace talks as soon as possible
    • PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
    Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Militant diplomacy
    Lieberman: Foreign Ministry should accept only ex-IDF soldiers as cadets.
    Madoff 'dying'
    New York Post: Madoff tells cellmates he has terminal cancer.
      1.   Hey B.S.News. Is that smoke I see coming out of your ears? 06:06  |  flyingdoc57 23/08/09
      2.   The Elad Association is evil incarnate... 06:12  |  BBSNews 23/08/09
      3.   good news 07:22  |  ron 23/08/09
      4.   City planning 07:58  |  Pat 23/08/09
      5.   Great!! We need more housing! 08:14  |  Jewish State 23/08/09
      6.   Jews Own The Land 08:47  |  Yishai kohen 23/08/09
      7.   Jews living in Jew-rusalem is not a settlement 08:49  |  Scotty 23/08/09
      8.   Palestinians in Jewish Neighbourhoods 09:03  |  Palestinian Brit 23/08/09
      9.   Wonderful News 09:23  |  Pinhas Bloom 23/08/09
      10.   #5 Ahh, but the TERRITORY it sits on, Yishai 09:29  |  Johnboy 23/08/09
      11.   ZIONISM AND ANTISEMITISM 09:34  |  JJ 23/08/09
      12.   Settlements in Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the whole of Jerusalem... 09:36  |  B. Gold 23/08/09
      13.   Build mainly in the Eastern part of Jerusalem 09:46  |  Danny Lieberman 23/08/09
      14.   #2 good news 09:54  |  harvey 23/08/09
      15.   Israelis are strongly encouraged to visit Ras Al-Amud 09:58  |  sh 23/08/09
      16.   More greedy mindlesslness, jeopardising peace for Jewish Israelis 10:01  |  CJ 23/08/09
      17.   Palestinian Brit 10:05  |  sh 23/08/09
      18.   Settlement? 10:08  |  Chaim S 23/08/09
      19.   Bloody outrage, demanding international sanctions 10:16  |  Ivar 23/08/09
      20.   Owned since before 1948? 10:40  |  John of Jordan 23/08/09
      21.   East Jerusalem is Israel, Full Stop. 10:44  |  Michael J 23/08/09
      22.   To Yishai Kohen #5 `Jews own the land` 11:00  |  Colin Wright 23/08/09
      23.   Cheer up Jews , Binational is the new fact on the ground. 11:00  |  Alan 23/08/09
      24.   You`re wrong Alan 11:18  |  sh 23/08/09
      25.   What Arab East Jerusalem 11:23  |  Gil 23/08/09
      26.   Good News 11:43  |  Chaim Ben Efrat 23/08/09
      27.   East Jerusalem for Jews too 11:46  |  fredyr 23/08/09
      28.   This area was JEWISH BEFORE 1948 12:01  |  Moshe 23/08/09
      29.   BBS uses Bush language--for Jews 12:02  |  Israeli citizen 23/08/09
      30.   Development 12:03  |  Rake 23/08/09
      31.   its being built on private land and in Jerusalem so why not 12:12  |  zionist forever 23/08/09
      32.   I assune John of Jordan is very young 12:21  |  Jackie 23/08/09
      33.   Palestinian Brit (#8) that is what they have done for centuries 12:27  |  Gil 23/08/09
      34.   linux, theft, security and American scandel 12:38  |  anonymous 23/08/09
      35.   linux, theft, security and American scandel 12:41  |  anonymous 23/08/09
      36.   The Israeli people begging for the "hammer"....??? 12:55  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/08/09
      37.   Jews Belong in Jerusalem 13:24  |  Shmuel 23/08/09
      38.   Gil and history 13:27  |  Sam Soul 23/08/09
      39.   Not A Settlement 13:33  |  Shmuel 23/08/09
      40.   Chaim S - When was East Jerusalem legally annexed? 14:20  |  CJ 23/08/09
      41.   Shmuel - bullshite. E Jerusalem was ILLEGALLY annexed 14:30  |  CJ 23/08/09
      42.   to #28 14:55  |  Sam 23/08/09
      43.   To #17 Palestinian Brit: If the rich Arabs would 14:56  |  Avram 23/08/09
      44.   to rake, yariv oppenheimer is head of peace now and 15:11  |  v 23/08/09
      45.   Settlements in East Jerusalem 15:23  |  Harold 23/08/09
      46.   #36 15:29  |  Chance 23/08/09
      47.   Why is it called a settlement? 16:08  |  Michael Garkawe 23/08/09
      48.   Sanctions on Israel 16:45  |  peter 23/08/09
      49.   Moshe: this area was JEWISH before 1948 17:38  |  Ben Alofs 23/08/09
      50.   More houses for Jews in arab neighborhood 18:20  |  WHG 23/08/09
      51.   #40 cj 18:25  |  duncan 23/08/09
      52.   There goes the neighborhood! 20:41  |  josh 23/08/09
      53.   The fruits of ethnic cleansing 21:09  |  Darlene Wallach 23/08/09
      54.   We must all be pleased that some, unlike Obama, don`t think 21:44  |  Beni 23/08/09
      55.   Palestinian building permits 22:08  |  Leah Levane 23/08/09
      56.   Jews (and Samaritans) are the aborigines of Judea and Samaria 22:53  |  AV 23/08/09
      57.   PALESTINIAN BRITT 23:19  |  SHIMI 23/08/09
      58.   so what 23:24  |  shimi 23/08/09
      59.   duncan - the last legal owner of the non-state entity of Palestin 23:27  |  CJ 23/08/09
      60.   swiss 23:37  |  Yaron 23/08/09
      61.   Not a "settlement" it`s a neighborhood 23:47  |  Baruch Gold 23/08/09
      62.   East Jerusalem 23:53  |  Åge Thorsen 23/08/09
      63.   Surebuttal 01:14  |  WHG 24/08/09
      64.   Surrebuttel-sorry for that prior spelling 02:13  |  WHG 24/08/09
      65.   Conflating issues..ownership versus international borders 02:24  |  Josh 24/08/09
      66.   God`s Will be done. 03:22  |  Virginia 24/08/09
      67.   WHG # 53 Who Says? 03:26  |  Jeff Northridge 24/08/09
      68.   How terrible, Jews started to move into the 05:36  |  Ben 24/08/09
      69.   Israel Does Not Want Peace 06:53  |  Vladek 24/08/09
      70.   #64 Jeff Northridge asks..... 07:55  |  Johnboy 24/08/09
      71.   Sam Soul (#38) Am I? Prove me wrong! 08:15  |  Gil 24/08/09
      72.   Sam Soul (#38) Am I? Prove me wrong! 08:16  |  Gil 24/08/09
      73.   #51 duncan, wrong in the first line. 08:17  |  Johnboy 24/08/09
      74.   Glad to see Israel not knuckling under 08:23  |  Susan 24/08/09
      75.   Baruch Gold - your ignorance is abundant. Your analogies worse! 08:24  |  CJ 24/08/09
      76.   Jeff Northridge- Israel`s Sovereignty doesn`t extend to Jerusalem 08:31  |  CJ 24/08/09
      77.   Ben - racism? 08:33  |  CJ 24/08/09
      78.   The UN should hold Israel in contempt of international law 09:26  |  Dutch 24/08/09
      79.   Build mainly in the Eastern part of Jereusalem 08:07  |  Francis Delpuech 25/08/09
      80.   Plans for largest East Jerusalem settlement filed for approval 08:12  |  Francis Delpuech 25/08/09
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Dead Sea Salt
    From the Dead Sea Coupon cofe Haaretz for 10% off!
    hotel Jerusalem
    David Citadel Hotel, come stay at the finest of Jerusalem hotels.
    Master's Program in Desert Studies
    An innovative, multidisciplinary, international program specialized in Desert Research
    Dead Sea Cosmetics .Summer Specials
    Velvet Hand Cream just $14.90
    Handmade In Tel Aviv
    Itay Noy, Timepiece Maker
    ISRAEL ARMY SURPLUS STORE
    IDF insignia,Uniforms, Paladium Boots Watches, Israel Army T-shirts & Collectibles
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    More Headlines
    08:49 Netanyahu close to deal with Hamas to free Shalit
    08:44 Palestinian officials: IDF strike kills four near Gaza smuggling tunnel
    08:06 U.S. says nearing renewal of Israel-Palestinian talks
    22:41 Israeli TV broadcasts footage of Hamas men executing rebels
    02:21 Israel must focus on Fatah's deeds, not its words
    02:38 Palestinian premier to unveil his vision of independence
    02:48 'What does it matter that we're black?'
    08:23 TV ROUND-UP: Gaza mortar fire, interest rates rise, Gap comes to Israel
    21:20 Sweden newspaper editor: I'm not a Nazi, I'm not anti-Semitic
    03:05 Israel's main source of water faces dire shortage
    03:14 BoI becomes first central bank in developed world to raise interest
    03:23 Haredi Web site: Put T.A. gay club chiefs on trial for murder
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |
    | Israel 2009 election results | Makom: Engaging on Israel
    | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved