Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been repeatedly declaring in recent months that scaffolding and bulldozers are free to return to the streets of Jerusalem, because there is no longer any construction freeze in any part of the capital. Now A document detailing more than 6,000 housing units in the capital that whose construction was frozen by the political echelon, Army Radio reported Monday.
The exposed document contains the proof that Jerusalem is under a massive construction freeze by the Prime Minister. It was prepared by the professional staff of the Jerusalem municipality’s planning committees, meaning it is not a political document. It was written as part of an attempt to organize the various building permit requests.
An example of the secret Netanyahu housing freeze are expansion plans to add 2,200 housing units in the Gilo neighborhood, 2,000 units in the Har Homa neighborhood, 500 units in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood, more than 500 in Pisgat Ze’ev, and 250 units in Ramot.
Altogether, these are more than 6,000 housing units spread over several neighborhoods beyond the Green Line, but within the current boundaries Jerusalem municipality. Each of the plans detailed in the exposed document is in various stages of construction, and the common denominator is that they have been frozen by the District Committee following the intervention of the Prime Minister’s representatives.
The author of the document remains behind the scenes, but the head of the local committee in Jerusalem told Army Radio that it is inconceivable that the local committee approves construction and the district committee is delaying it – and the reason for these delays is the government’s involvement in construction policy.
These interventions take place mainly in the district committee, where there are not many politicians, and whose meetings are conducted behind closed doors, the freezing orders are usually passed quietly, and in most cases the public does not even hear about it.
The Prime Minister’s office denied the allegations.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked told Army Radio in response to the revelation that “the Prime Minister said that there is no freeze in Jerusalem so there is no reason to be in this situation. We will approach the Prime Minister for clarifications. He promised that there would be no freeze in Jerusalem and therefore these construction projects must be released.”