Planning Council drops controversial Jerusalem development plan

its true what you say #9.... just look at the amazing advancements israel has accomplished while at war with its neighbors... imagine what could be done during PEACE time!! the possibilities are endless! keep up the good work, israel. you are an inspiration to us all. don't let your neighbors dim the light that you bring to this troubled world. i bless your environmentalist with many more victories, and hoping that your arab neighbors will wake up soon and realize that violence is NEVER the right path...

The state of Israel is an aggressive kleptocracy. What exactly are these development plans? After all there is a limited space within to "develop" legally. The issue of illegal occupation under International Law comes to mind.

I encourage this attitude of yours! It just shows the world where the real problem is. Keep it up old chap. You know it dosen't make sense but you still go for it. Luvvly jubbly!

"This is an attempt by Israel`e enemies to sabotage Israel`s development plans." Those who operate with no concern for the natural environment of Eretz Yisrael are true enemies of Kol Yisrael. I don't know where this knee jerk reaction of yours comes from, but it makes no sense. Israel is a tiny country in terms of land. Once that land is overdeveloped, there is no going back. It would be most disrepectful of G-d to foul up the one strip of terra firma that the Jews feel is, in part, their divine inheritance. If one receives something very special, usually one tries hard to take good care of it. Those who are concerned with the ecological health of the land are Israel's friends not her enemies.

leaving clickfool's idiocies aside. A great nation should always respect both it's human rights and land rights. We are far from reaching the first plateau, however anything is better than nothing. Also, Olmert's hand at the potentiality of this project to begin with should be added to the long list of incompetance and self-servitude he has manifested throughout his career. It a shame that he had to drag down so many dead Israelis into his soon to be dug political grave. Good riddance EHUD. We won't be sad to see you go.

This is an attempt by Israel'e enemies to sabotage Israel's development plans.

20,000 Islamic Slum Lords in Sussex Just ask clickfool he lives in one of their fine dwellings next to the Henry the VIII th Mosque I wonder how many true brits live next door to the gore.

You don't live here, you don't know anything but how to stir up arguments. You are so stupid and foolish, go look in the mirror. What do you know about these things other than to pick and choose reasons to put your foot in your mouth.

Oh, good, this is the best news lately. Who needs more of the overbuilding and lack of respect for nature and environment?

I think it is wonderful to wait too, the land you know, it waits so beautifully. And you too.

On a recent trip to Jerusalem I saw first hand how developers were allowed to destroy the city's natural beauty in exchange for cash. No doubt Olmert had a hand in a large part of it's destruction during his 10 year rulership. At some point people have to say "NO! Enough!!" no matter how "cool" the architect is. The western Judean hills are all Jeruasalem has left in terms of natural beauty.

Finally the govt' makes the right decision to conserve open space in Israel! As the environmental movement gains support, let's thank and give credit to the right-minded politicians who rejected the Safdie Plan and voted to preserve nature for future generations. Much credit also goes to environmental activists and organizations like SPNI for their critical efforts to preserve our land and heritage.

mazal tov! so nice to read good news for a change... imagine how amazing it would be if we could spend our all of our time building a green country and less time trying to catch suicide bombers that want to murder us all... dearest arab neighbors, please stop attacking us, and let's start now to work together to create a beautiful country together.... let's focus on cleaning our air and purifying our water, not war!!!!

Three decades ago, Mevasseret was a quiet village far from Jerusalem. Today it's almost a city with traffic jams in the morning rush hour, traffic lights, dual roadway, a mall, noise, pollution and all the rest of it. A hotel was planned to be built next to the mall to add to our woes. That's on hold I believe. May those who know better cancel this as well! Were the Safdie project to have been approved, then a monstrous neighbour would have totally ruined West Jerusalem. Safdie can now sleep restfully, the only nightmare perhaps to disturb his tranquility being Modiin.

Clickfool, we are talking about West Jerusalem. In West Jerusalem, only Jews live here. The East Jerusalem Arabs are still Jordanian citizens.

Pity those environmental groups do not get excited about that...

How many of those 20,000 housing units were earmarked for Arabs? Hmm, I wonder.

Finally, good judgement won out over big business. If you want a preview of the damage Safdie could have done to Jerusalem, visit Modiin - the so called 'City of the Future'. The entire Givat C neighborhood for example lacks even basic such as a grocery store or supermarket. Parks remain uncompleted and poorly design even after 8 years since they were built. One must walk up/down hundreds of strairs to get to a shopping area. The only thing future about Safdie's Modiin is that the future never arrives. The Safdie section of Modiin more closely resembles an Eastern European communist designed city that brought quick and unbelievable wealth to those who built it.

Thank G-d this bad plan failed. Kudos to the planning council. Israel has very little green areas as it is, this plan would have been a catastrophe.