Pisgat Zeev Construction Approved

The Yerushalayim Municipality’s Local Planning and Construction Committee has given the green light for construction of 58 housing units in the Pisgat Zeev neighborhood of east Yerushalayim, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The municipality characterized the decision as part of a “standard bureaucratic process. A private developer received approval from the local planning committee,” it stated. “The approval is a standard and bureaucratic process that every new property development must go through.”

“New construction in Yerushalayim, like in cities across the world, is a normal process needed to sustain the city’s growth and to allow young people and students to rent and purchase homes,” the statement added.

This did not mollify the Palestinian Authority, which condemned the decision as a “violation of international law” and an “obstacle on the road to reach peace.”

However, Meretz councilman Meir Margalit, who holds the east Yerushalayim portfolio, brushed off the condemnation.

“For me this is not so dramatic,” he said. “It will not be an obstacle to peace negotiations.”

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the October 11th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.