Jerusalem Authorities Approve Construction of Settler Building in East Jerusalem

A Jerusalem municipal committee approved the construction of a three-storey building for Ateret Cohanim settler organization in the Silwan neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem, located close to the Old City, according to Ir Amim, also known as City of Nations.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A Jerusalem municipal committee approved on Wednesday the construction of a three-storey building for Jewish settlers in a neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem, located close to the Old City, a local non-profit organization engaged in monitoring of settlement policy said.

"A local committee approved today the construction of a three-storey building for Ateret Cohanim settler organization in the Silwan neighborhood," Ir Amim, also known as City of Nations, said on its Twitter page.

Earlier in the day, Jerusalem's Planning and Housing Committee canceled its plans to hold a vote on the approval of construction of 500 Jewish-owned housing units in eastern Jerusalem.

This comes several days after the UN Security Council passed a resolution in a 14-0 vote, with the only abstention from the United States, condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The resolution states that Israel should immediately and completely cease all settlement activities on "occupied Palestinian territory," including in East Jerusalem.