«Israel» to Approve 100s of New Units in Defiance of UNSC Resolution

Local Editor

The "Israeli" entity's zoning committee in al-Quds [Jerusalem] is expected to approve construction permits for hundreds of new units in East al-Quds, in a move which is illegal under international law. Settlement construction was slammed by the latest resolution adopted by the UN Security Council.

The "Jerusalem Local Planning and Construction Committee" is expected on Wednesday to approve permits to build 618 apartments in Jewish neighborhoods across the Green Line, Haaretz reported.

Some 140 units will be erected in "Pisgat Ze'ev", 262 in "Ramat Shlomo" and 216 in "Ramot", Haaretz reported, adding that even more permit requests for "Pisgat Ze'ev" and "Ramot" may be added before this week's meeting.

According to other "Israeli" media reports, the Committee might approve as many as 5,600 illegal settlement units in response to the United Nations Security Council [UNSC] resolution which condemned "Israeli" settlement activities and called for a halt to illegal construction.

The planning committee will approve 2,600 new settlement units in the neighborhood of "Gilo", another 2,600 units in "Givat Hamatos", and 400 units in "Ramat Shlomo", for a grand total of 5,600 units in East al-Quds, reported "Israel" Hayom.

"We remain unfazed by the UN vote, or by any other entity that tries to dictate what we do in al-Quds [Jerusalem]. I hope the ‘Israeli' government and the new US administration will support us, so we can make up for the lack [of construction] during the eight years of the Obama administration," Deputy al-Quds Mayor Meir Turgeman who heads the zoning committee told "Israel" Hayom.

The "Israeli" entity captured East al-Quds and the West Bank in 1967. The entity subsequently annexed East al-Quds and considers the entire city its capital. Palestine claims East al-Quds as its future capital.

So far this year 1,506 settlement units had been approved for construction in East al-Quds, compared to 775 units in 2014 and only 395 units in 2015, Haaretz reported. But despite the UN resolution, construction is set to continue.

"There has been no change in the position of the al-Quds [Jerusalem] municipality ... construction in al-Quds [Jerusalem] is necessary, important, and will continue at full strength," the al-Quds municipality said following Friday's vote.

As the city of al-Quds prepares to approve new constructions, "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro on Sunday. Shapiro was contacted after the "Israeli" entity called in 10 representatives of 14 other states that voted for the resolution.

While the US had traditionally been an ally of apartheid "Israeli" regime, vetoing numerous UN resolutions against the entity, relations somewhat soured under the Obama administration, which had slammed Tel Aviv's increasingly aggressive illegal settlement policies.

On Sunday, Netanyahu also used his weekly cabinet meeting to once again criticize Obama administration.

"From the information that we have, we have no doubt that the Obama administration initiated it [resolution], stood behind it, coordinated on the wording and demanded that it be passed," Netanyahu told ministers on Sunday.

"As I told John Kerry on Thursday, friends don't take friends to the Security Council," Netanyahu said. "Over decades American administrations and ‘Israeli' governments have disagreed about settlements, but we agreed the Security Council was not the place to resolve this issue."

"This is of course in total contradiction to the traditional American policy of not trying to impose conditions of a final resolution ... and of course the explicit commitment of President Obama himself in 2011 to avoid such measures," he added.

Netanyahu had also reportedly instructed his ministers not to travel to the countries who voted in favor of the resolution. Earlier Sunday, War Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered "Israeli" security forces to cease all cooperation with the Palestinians on civilian matters, while retaining security coordination, army radio reported.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team