Israel to delay advancement of housing plans in East Jerusalem Jewish neighborhoods

Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s office says it will delay a meeting to advance housing projects for Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem that was scheduled to take place days after US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel, an official familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

The projects scheduled to come before the Jerusalem District Planning and Construction would have seen one new neighborhood built in Givat Shaked and another between Har Homa and Givat Hamatos, totaling roughly 2,000 homes.

The Peace Now settlement watchdog tipped off an Israeli reporter to the plan, and the reporter asked the PMO for comment. Lapid’s office said it had been unaware of the project and told the reporter that the meeting to advance it would be delayed, according to the official familiar with the matter.

As of now, though, the project is still on the agenda for the Jerusalem planning panel.