Report: J'lem to move forward 900 Har Homa units after Kerry visit
Army Radio reports municipality to discuss advancing plans to develop new housing units over the Green Line.
By JPOST.COM STAFFHar Homa 311(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Jerusalem Municipality's Finance Committee was scheduled to discuss advancing plans to develop 900 housing units in Jerusalem's Har Homa neighborhood, which is beyond the Green Line, Army Radio reported on Sunday.According to the report, the committee is set to discuss paving streets and adding needed infrastructure for the neighborhood which has been in planning since 2011.The report of the plans to advance the Har Homa neighborhood came as US Secretary of State John Kerry held a series of meetings with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over the weekend in attempts to restart negotiations between the sides.Likud chairman in the Jerusalem Municipality, Elisha Peleg praised the decision to advance the plans. "Despite the visit by US Secretary of State Kerry in the region, nothing prevents us from starting to build, because it has been proved that freezing building in Jerusalem did not help to renew negotiations with the Palestinians, and only served to worsen the housing crisis in the city."Ma'ariv reported on Sunday that the municipality is scheduled to approve a tax discount on the new Har Homa housing units.The reported tax break is expected to bring down the price of the housing units by thousands of shekels and cost the Housing and Construction Ministry some NIS 100 million.Hagit Ofran of Peace Now criticized the plans to advance the Har Homa project. "Any timing would have been terrible, but the current timing, with Kerry's visit, is even worse."
