Cornerstone laid in East Jerusalem for Jewish quarter
Although event was publicized, no Knesset members or cabinet ministers attended.
By Haaretz Staff Tags: Israel settlements Jerusalem Israel newsSecurity was tight yesterday as the cornerstone was laid for a residential project for Jews in East Jerusalem, next to the Arab neighborhood of Jabal Mukkaber.
Organizers of the ceremony feared it would spark an outbreak of further violence, in light of the recent tensions at the Temple Mount.
"We weren't going to cancel an important ceremony regarding the construction of another Jewish residence in East Jerusalem just because a few hooligans are making some noise," Avichai Buaron told Army Radio yesterday. "Nof Zion is in the Arab town of Jabal Mukkaber, but it remains a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem," he added.
Although the event was announced in the media, no Knesset members or cabinet ministers attended the ceremony.
Palestinian Authority officials criticized the construction, as did officials from the European Union and the United States.
The compound is to include 104 apartments. Future homeowners who attended the ceremony brought a Torah to the local synagogue to mark the start of construction.
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The land was bought fair and square. No one was evicted, no one "ethnically" cleansed. I don't understand why it is offensive for an Arab to see a Jewish neighbor.
This idolatry of real estate costs us dear. Jerusalem should be building affordable housing for young couples in the west of the city and preventing the flight of secular young people from the city, not pandering to the cravings of those who wish to establish yet another Jewish enclave in East Jerusalem. It costs us too dear, both in tensions with the Palestinians and with expenditure from the city budget to support this initiative.