Thousands of new apartments planned for E. Jerusalem

Jerusalem City Hall is set to authorize the construction of thousands of new housing units in Jewish neighborhoods over the Green Line in the wake of Donald Trump’s election in the US, municipal officials say.

Some 1,400 new apartments in the capital’s Ramat Shlomo neighborhood are expected to be approved by the Jerusalem Municipality Planning and Construction Committee, the officials say.

“In Jerusalem it’s as if Trump is already in office,” one official tells Channel 2. “The problem is that nobody knows what his policies will actually be.”

“There’s an understanding between us that whatever we’ll be able to accomplish in the coming months may not always be an option later,” the official adds. “Even if the [current] State Department or White House condemns it, it won’t be worth much at this point.”

— Tamar Pileggi