Netanyahu ‘doesn’t recall’ approval of Qalqilya expansion plan

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly says he does not remember a cabinet decision made last year that would allow the Palestinian Authority to expand the city of Qalqilya in the West Bank.

After right-wing ministers denounced the scheme and claimed it had not been reviewed properly by the cabinet, Netanyahu announced earlier today that the plan would be revisited by ministers at a later date.

“I don’t recall a cabinet decision that was made regarding the expansion of Qalqilya,” he says at the weekly cabinet meeting according to Channel 2.

The plan would see 14,000 new apartments built in the Israeli-controlled Area C surrounding the city, potentially more than doubling the city’s population, from 50,000 to 110,000.

Last week, Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying the Qalqilya expansion plan was “presented by the defense minister last year and approved by the cabinet.”