Minister of Housing and Construction Uri Ariel today announced the sale of land for more than 1,000 new homes in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria. He said that the Israel Land Administration would publish the tenders on its website today.
The tenders include land for 400 apartments in Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood, 210 apartments in Homat Shmuel (Har Homa), and 183 apartments in Pisgat Zeev. Altogether more than 800 apartments will be built in Jerusalem neighborhoods beyond the Green Line.
Tenders will also be published for land for 117 apartments in Ariel, 149 apartments in Efrat in the Etzion Bloc, 92 apartments in Maaleh Adumim, and 36 apartments in Beitar. Altogether, 394 apartments will be built in these settlements.
Ariel said, "The Israeli government is seeking to lower the cost of living in all parts of the State of Israel. No country in the world accepts the diktats of other countries about where to build and where not to build. We will continue to market apartments and build throughout the country, in the Negev and the Galilee, and in the center, in order to meet the needs of all of the State of Israel's residents. This is the right thing to do now, from both a Zionist and economic perspective."
"Publishing tenders for the marketing of 1,200 housing units in eastern Jerusalem and in the large settlement blocs is a double mistake," said Minister of Finance Yair Lapid calls Ariel's announcement. "The solutions to the housing problem should be in demand areas, and that is the housing cabinet's objective. In addition, using resources intended for housing for the middle class in order to unnecessarily annoy the Americans and to disrupt peace talks is neither wise or helpful to the process."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 11, 2013
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