Israel plans for 558 east Jerusalem settler homes

Israel on Wednesday pushed forward with plans to build more than 550 new homes in settlement neighborhoods of annexed east Jerusalem, the city council said.

In a statement listing “building permits that were approved” during a session of the local planning committee, it said permits were granted to private contractors to build 386 units in Har Homa, 136 units in Neve Yaakov and 36 units in Pisgat Zeev, Agence France-Presse reported.

Israel defines the whole of Jerusalem as its “eternal and indivisible” capital, while the Palestinians claim the eastern sector, captured during the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed shortly after, as the capital of the state to which they aspire.

Last month, Israeli authorities demolished four Palestinian homes in annexed east Jerusalem that had been built without construction permits.

However, Palestinians and human rights groups contend that Israel rarely grants the needed permits, forcing residents to build homes without them.

(With AFP)