Dozens of Israel's Peace Now activists and demonstrators from other left-wing organizations protested Wednesday in the occupied East Jerusalem village of Jabal Mukaber against the construction of a new Jewish settlement in the area.
Demonstrators tried to block bulldozers and prevent them from uprooting olive trees. They also confronted police forces, who used teargas to disperse the protesters. A Palestinian who tried to block a bulldozer was lightly
injured.
A short while later the protesters left the area after the intervention of an Israeli parliament member.
The construction of the settlement, due to be called Nof Zahav [Golden Panorama], started earlier this week. The Jerusalem Municipality, for its part, has confirmed that permits had recently been granted for the construction of roads in the area.
Meanwhile, according to the Washington Post on Wednesday, Israel has approved the construction of over 1,720 new houses in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip this year.
The Post also reported that two weeks ago, Israeli troops began expanding the boundary of Beitar Ilit, a West Bank settlement of over 20,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews about eight kilometers southwest of Jerusalem. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
