MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he had authorized the construction of housing units in East Jerusalem on the territory captured in 1967.
"I thought we had to protect the southern gateway to Jerusalem by building here," Netanyahu was quoted as saying by The Jerusalem Post. "There was huge objection, because this neighborhood is in a location which prevents the Palestinian (territorial) contiguity."
The name of the neighborhood where the buildings are expected to be erected is Har Homa. It is situated beyond the Green Line marking Israel's territory.
Netanyahu visited the construction site on Monday, a day before parliament elections scheduled to take place on March 17. The prime minister's Likud party and the left-wing Zionist Union, led by Isaac Herzog, are considered to be two main rivals for the majority of seats in the country's parliament.
According to the poll published by Haaretz on Thursday, Herzog's popularity was growing over the ruling party. The Zionist Union is polling 24 seats in Israel's parliament against 21 for Likud.
