An Israeli bulldozer demolishes a Palestinian house belonging to the al-Rajabi family
Islam Times reports from Al-Manar: The Israeli building and planning committee in al-Quds endorsed the expansion on Monday as part of a plan to build a total of 250 units in the illegal Pisgat Ze'ev settlement, said Stephen Miller, a spokesman for mayor Nir Barkat.
Israeli municipality officials have also authorized more than 100 building permit requests across the city, which hosts a number of sanctities highly revered by followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
Al-Quds has been a flashpoint of clashes between Israeli occupation forces and Palestinian protesters who accuse Tel Aviv of efforts to remove the Islamic and Palestinian identity of the city through unrelenting judaization.
"We will continue building Jerusalem in all its neighbourhoods, without consideration for the political situation," committee member Elisha Peleg told the Ynet news Website.
However, Miller said it was unlikely that the building of the 20 units in Pisgat Ze'ev would start any time soon.
"It still has to go to 15-to-20 municipal departments for approval, like sanitation and environment, before they can pay their fees and start building," the spokesman said.
The Monday approval for further settlement expansion follows a visit by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States and despite expectations from Washington to press Tel Aviv to make concessions.
