Municipal committee markets 82 housing units in Jerusalem: report

A Jerusalem municipal committee marketed 82 housing units in a Jewish settlement without the Israeli government's knowledge, reported Channel 2 news on Monday.

The Jerusalem municipality's Planning and Construction Committee authorized the marketing of the 82 housing units in the precarious neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo on Monday, despite the government's objection and without notifying it, the report stated.

Ramat Shlomo is a neighborhood located in northeast Jerusalem, next to the Palestinian village of Shuafat, which drew plenty of international attention and criticism in the past.

A diplomatic crisis erupted between Israel and the United States in March 2010 due to the construction authorization of 1,600 new housing units, coinciding with U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden's visit in order to push for renewed peace talks.

This angered the U.S. government as it prompted the Palestinian Authority (PA) to pull out of U.S.-brokered indirect "proximity talks" aiming to revive the peace process.

The European Union was equally critical of the decision.

The Jerusalem municipality said in response to Channel 2's report on Monday that construction in Jerusalem is "necessary, important and will continue with full force."

It added that it advocates construction for "Arabs and Jews alike," and therefore "will not freeze construction in Jerusalem."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government face growing international pressure to resume peace talks with the PA.

The calls come following a nine-month wave of violence which claimed the lives of 28 Israelis and 205 Palestinians, in addition to mounting regional instability.

The international community considers Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem as illegal settlements. Endit