Britain on Friday joined France in condemning Israeli plans to build
additional structures and housing
units in areas of Jerusalem over the 1967 Green Line.
Jerusalem’s Local Planning and Building Committee passed the first
stage of the approval process for three controversial construction
projects on Wednesday. One project is for
130 Jewish housing units on
the border between Gilo and Beit Safafa, with apartment buildings up
to 12 stories. Two of the projects are for tourism buildings in the
City of David archaeological park in the Silwan neighborhood.
"I condemn the decision by the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building
Committee to build additional structures in the Palestinian
neighborhood of Silwan, and housing in the settlement of Gilo,"
Britain's Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair
Burt stated on Friday.
"This is another provocative and deeply counter-productive step, the
latest in a series by the Israeli authorities," he
added.
Burt's condemnation followed a statement by the French Foreign
Ministry on Thursday urging Israel to forgo the
construction plans "in order
to establish between the pa