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Netanyahu Plans New Jerusalem Neighborhood as Election Nears

Netanyahu Plans New Jerusalem Neighborhood as Election Nears

(Bloomberg) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tough election contest, has approved construction of a new neighborhood in southeast Jerusalem, a project fiercely opposed by Palestinians and the European Union.

The plan, which has been in the works for at least a decade, is to build 4,000 housing units on the Givat Hamatos hillside. Some 1,000 units would be earmarked as an expansion of a nearby Arab neighborhood, and the remainder would be for Jewish homes.

Netanyahu Plans New Jerusalem Neighborhood as Election Nears

He also announced plans to add 2,200 housing units to the existing neighborhood of Har Homa, located on a nearby adjacent hilltop, boosting the number of residents there by one-quarter to 50,000.

Both neighborhoods are located in parts of Jerusalem that were annexed by Israel after it captured them from Jordanian control in the 1967 Middle East war. While Israelis would widely support the plan, the Palestinians and the EU regard construction there as settlement activity that violates international law.

Netanyahu is facing his third election in less than a year on March 2 and is seeking ways to shore up support. He was unable to form a coalition after the first two elections.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alisa Odenheimer in Jerusalem at aodenheimer@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Mark Williams

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