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JERUSALEM, November 3, 2013 (WAFA) – Peace Now, the Israeli anti-settlements movement, said that the Israeli government issued tenders for the construction of 1,859 new housing units in West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements, media reports said Sunday.

The French news agency, AFP, quoted the peace now, saying that construction of the new housing units will begin soon; 1,031 to be built in the West Bank and 828 in East Jerusalem.

T.R.

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Statement on Peace Now website:

New Tenders for 1889 Units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem

3/11/13

Two days before Secretary Kerry’s visit, the Government is issuing tenders for 1,061 units in the West Bank and for another 828 units in East Jerusalem. The tenders are the last stage before the construction begins: a few months after the publication of the tenders the winning bids are selected and the winning contractors may apply for construction permits and start the construction few weeks or months afterwards.
The Tenders Issued Today (3/11/13):
Elkana – 283 units
Maale Adumim – 114 units (112 of them in neighborhood 06, and another two in neighborhood 07)
Karnei Shomron – 196 units – the settlement is located east of the built route of the Barrier
Givat Zeev – 102 units – at the Banana Hill neighborhood
Ariel – 18 units – in the eastern part of the settlement – east of the built route of the Barrier.
Adam (AKA Geva Binyamin) – 80 units – east of the Separation Barrier. The plan and the infrastructure were prepared for the evicted settlers of Migron who have chosen a different location, and now it is marketed for the general public.
Beitar Illit – 238 units – in neighborhood B2.

In addition, the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization published last week a tender to build 30 units in Beit El. This is not a regular tender offering the rights to build and sell a construction project, but a special tender where the Government is funding the construction and will grant the buildings to a private body dedicated in advance. This construction is part of the compensation deal that the Government signed with the settlers of the Ulpana Hill that was built on private Palestinian land and evicted following a court order.

In East Jerusalem:
Gilo – 311 units – in Western Gilo Slopes
Ramat Shlomo – 387 units – it is part of the plan for 1,500 units that became published during the visit of Vice President Biden in 2010.
Har Homa B – 130 units for the elderly – this tender was first published in 2008 and then again in 2011 and 2012 – but no bids were awarded.

Peace Now: “Whenever Netanyahu makes a small step towards peace he makes two larger steps to make it harder to get to peace. The tenders that were published today, that include construction east of the Barrier and in especially controversial areas, will not only make the talks harder but would create facts on the ground that will make the two states solution much harder”.