Jerusalem Advances Plan for 3,400 New Homes Beyond Green Line Ahead of Elections

With less than three months until Israel's national elections, the Jerusalem Municipality is fast-tracking three major housing projects beyond the Green Line in East Jerusalem. These plans, totaling approximately 3,400 new housing units, are progressing rapidly in the neighborhoods of Umm Tuba, Umm Lison, and Gilo, stirring political controversy due to their timing and potential impact on the city's demographic and political landscape.

The first project, called "Nofei Rachel," was submitted for approval on August 7 and covers about 27 dunams at the entrance to Umm Tuba, including around 650 housing units. This plan is promoted by Australian businessman Kevin Birmiester, known for his involvement in Jewish settlement activities in East Jerusalem. Notably, the plan allows buildings up to 14 stories high, contrasting with the typical four-story limit for Palestinian construction in the area, highlighting disparities in planning policies.

The second plan, approved for submission in early July, involves about 450 housing units in the heart of Umm Lison. After private developers failed to meet regional planning committee requirements, the Jerusalem Municipality itself joined as an official partner, marking a precedent as the first time the city formally participates in promoting a new Israeli neighborhood within a Palestinian area in East Jerusalem.

The largest initiative is the expansion of the Gilo neighborhood, proposing over 2,300 new housing units on roughly 195 dunams. According to the NGO Ir Amim, this expansion, combined with ongoing construction in Givat HaMatos and Har Homa, could significantly deepen the physical and political separation between East Jerusalem and Bethlehem and the southern West Bank. Part of the land for this project was reportedly expropriated from Palestinian owners under the Absentee Property Law and allocated for Israeli construction.

The timing of these plans, just weeks before the elections, has sparked debate. Ir Amim researcher Aviv Tatarsky stated, "Just before the elections, the government is advancing a series of settlement plans with dramatic implications for Jerusalem's future. Although the government may be nearing its end, it is working vigorously to create facts on the ground that will be difficult to reverse." Supporters on the right view the construction as reinforcing Israeli sovereignty and presence in the capital. The rapid advancement of these projects is expected to make East Jerusalem construction a key election issue.