Jerusalem's municipal council on Monday approved the construction of 120 new homes in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Ramot in occupied east Jerusalem, a councillor told AFP. "It's not good news," Pepe Alalu of the opposition Meretz party said. "They approved 120 housing units in Ramot... there were two permits authorised, one for 56 housing units and another for 64."
The vote came on the eve of a visit by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who has said that east Jerusalem settlement building harms the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Alalu said that the municipal committee's decision did not require endorsement by the government. "It's final," he said. Ir Amim, a group that promotes coexistence in Jerusalem, accused Israeli authorities of boosting settlement construction in the city.
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