August 29, 2009

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- An Israeli organization monitoring the Israeli settlement drive in eastern Jerusalem has revealed that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) had built at least 150 housing units in occupied Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City.

Ir Amim, an Israeli organization founded in 2004 to promote Israeli-Palestinian co-existence, reported that around 750 Israeli settlers have inhabited those units. More than 2000 others have already settled in the heart of the Arab suburbs, it added.

The organization revealed that more housing units were planned in the Palestinian suburbs of Ras Al-Amod, Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah, accusing two fanatic Jewish groups of coordinating the construction plan with the IOA.

Furthermore, the organization said that the exposed construction schemes in Jerusalem coupled with the increased Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the area were meant to expand the Israeli presence in the occupied city.

The revelation of the schemes comes after Hebrew media sources confirmed that Washington retracted its request for freezing the Israeli activity in the occupied city of Jerusalem after it agreed to an Israeli suggestion of temporarily freezing settlement construction in the West Bank but not in Jerusalem.