Israel Announces 700 Homes For Disputed Section Of Jerusalem

12.28.09 | FL News Team

Israel will build another 700 homes for Jews in a part of Jerusalem it considers exempt from a moratorium on settlement construction. The Palestinian Authority condemned the move as an illegal incursion into the West Bank. Israel's Housing Ministry has already invited contractors to bid on construction to expand settlements in three Jerusalem neighborhoods.

 Israel has declared Jerusalem to be its indivisible, eternal capital, and does not include it in a construction freeze in the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in December he'd agreed to the moratorium, except within Jerusalem's municipal borders. A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blasted the new building plan, saying, quote, "The Israeli government proves every day that it is not ready for peace."