New Settlement in East Jerusalem - a Danger to the Peace Process

It has been announced that the Jerusalem municipality planning committee has decided to approve the establishment of a new Jewish settlement near the Mount of Olives. This neighborhood named "Beit Orot" encompases a plan to build four residential buildings so to inhabit 24 Jewish families

After the settlements Ma'ale Zeitim, City of David, Sheikh Jarrah and construction at Sheppard Hotel, this new settlement named “Beit Orot” is another provocation of extremist settlement activity in the heart of a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

Peace Now: "The establishment of this neighborhood is a historic mistake that will hurt the ability to reach a diplomatic solution with the Palestinians. The Jerusalem Mayor is persistent in his attempts to turn the Eastern side of Jerusalem into a battle ground between extreme right settlers and  Palestinian residents - similar to the situation today in Hebron".

It should be recalled that 25 years ago the mayor at the time Teddy Kolek, declared this same piece of land in A-Tur as the grounds for a new school for East Jerusalem Palestinian children. After a while, American Irwin Moskowitz, patron of the settlers in East Jerusalem, bought the land and the compound was taken over by yeshiva students.

The school for Palestinian children was never built.