by Shlomo Cesana, AP and Israel Hayom Staff
Expansion of West Bank city was first approved last year, but PM Netanyahu called for a new vote after backlash following announcement
Defense Minster Avigdor Lieberman
|
Photo credit: Reuters  |
The Knesset's Diplomatic-Security Cabinet was
set to convene Wednesday for a second round of discussions on
authorizing the construction of thousands of new housing units in the
Palestinian city of Qalqilya.
The cabinet authorized the plan last year, but
several ministers have since claimed they were not aware what they had
been voting for. After ministers from the Likud and Habayit Hayehudi
voiced opposition to the plan Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he
could not recall the details of it. The prime minister ordered a revote
on the plan, which is slated to be held soon.
Qalqilya is the West Bank's most densely
populated Palestinian city. Because it is surrounded on three sides by
the separation barrier, the only way the city can expand is eastward
into privately owned Palestinian land in Area C, where Israeli approval
is required. According to forms submitted to the cabinet, the plan
includes building permits for 14,000 apartments by the year 2035.
However, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman
said this week that the number of permits for new housing units was
actually 6,300, 1,000 of which would actually comprise retroactive
approval for apartments that have already been built illegally. The plan
also features an industrial park, playgrounds, a waste management plant
and a cemetery.
Qalqilya has been among the quietest
Palestinian cities in the West Bank, and has even been singled out
by Lieberman as a model city. The planned expansion is an example of
Lieberman's "carrot and stick" policy toward the Palestinians.
Lieberman, who first brought the plan to the cabinet, made it clear in recent weeks that he did not intend to reverse it.
"Anyone who opposes the plan has no idea what they are talking about," Lieberman said.
Settler leaders have criticized the plan,
noting that Qalqilya sits next to a major Israeli highway at the
country's narrowest point, just 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) from the
Mediterranean Sea, and could turn into a launching ground for attacks on
central Israel.
Education Minister and Habayit Hayehudi head
Naftali Bennett said the Palestinians could build "unrestrained" in
areas under their authority, but this plan involved Israeli-controlled
land in a strategic location.
"I think it's a profound mistake," Bennett said in an interview. "It just doesn't make sense."
Bennett, a key power broker in Israeli politics, said he expected the plan to be voted down.
Ahead of the cabinet discussion, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan urged ministers not to approve it.
"The absurd plan to double Qalqilya must be
taken off the agenda. It seems that something has gone wrong with the
government's priorities," Dagan said.
Under the interim Oslo Accords, areas of the West Bank
were divided into three categories. The vast majority of Palestinians
live in Areas A and B, which are under full or partial Palestinian
control, while all Israeli settlements are in Area C.
Shlomo Cesana, AP and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=43793
Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment