Israel 'approves 1,200 housing units' in Gilo

Tel Aviv, 13 Shafar 1434/26 December 2012 (Ma’an/MINA) – Israel’s interior ministry has decided to allow the construction of 1,200 settlement units in the Gilo area in the Bethlehem district, Israeli media reported Tuesday.

Israel’s Ynet news agency reported that the interior and housing ministries decided Monday that once the final approval was given, construction tenders for the area will be issued.

The expansion spans some 66 acres, according to the report. In a separate report by Ynet’s print version Yedioth Ahronoth a senior official is quoted as saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “discounts the entire world.”

Also Read: Israeli Forces Demolish Palestinian-owned Houses Near Jericho

“He is not interested in the Palestinians, but this will all blow up in our faces. The Netanyahu government is leading Israel towards a disaster,” the unnamed official said.

“You can’t go wild and announce construction in east Jerusalem every other day at a time when peace talks are stalled,” the official continued, expressing concerns about boycotts and the economy. (T/R-012/R-017/R-006)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)