JERUSALEM — The Jerusalem City Council on Monday approved a divisive redevelopment plan to demolish 22 Palestinian homes in Arab- dominated East Jerusalem, potentially reigniting a debate over Israeli construction on land it seized in 1967.
The approval threatens to renew friction between Israel and the Obama administration just as the former is battling a surge of international pressure over its policies in the Gaza Strip.
President Barack Obama has repeatedly asked Israel to refrain from building new projects in Arab-dominated neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, warning against any “provocations” that might derail American-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which began last month.
“We are urging all sides to refrain from any unilateral actions that seem to prejudice the outcome of final-status” peace talks, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Kurt Hoyer. “Jerusalem is a final-status issue.”
A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed the council’s decision, expressing hope that Palestinian opposition to the project could be overcome.
Officials from the Palestinian Authority, which hopes to one day make East Jerusalem the capital of a Palestinian state, condemned Monday’s approval as “unacceptable.”
The development project, to be built in the Silwan neighborhood, was first proposed last year by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. It will demolish 22 Arab homes, which were built over the past 20 years without permits, to make way for an archaeological park for tourists and a retail shopping center.
