A representative from the US Embassy was present at the discussion in which the plan to build Atarot | Israel Today was rejected

A representative of the US Embassy in Israel was present last night (Tuesday) through the zoom in a discussion held by the District Committee for Planning and Construction of the Jerusalem area, on the plan to build the Jewish neighborhood in Atarot in the north of the city. The program until an environmental survey is received from the Ministry of the Environment.

According to the Israel Today survey, the decision was made on a professional basis, but also following heavy American pressure on the political echelon and planning bodies, including committee members, to dissolve and postpone the decision regarding Atarot as much as possible.

It should be noted that in similar cases in the past when the committee was required to approve similar plans - they were approved subject to the invention of an environmental review in the future.

As stated, not in this case.

President Biden at the UN: "Far from implementing a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians" // Photo: Reuters

A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Israel declined to comment.

The meeting was also attended by Peace Now representative Hagit Ofran, whose movement opposes the plan, as well as the Minister for Regional Cooperation, Issawi Frij (Meretz), who also and his party oppose the plan.

Farage presented to the committee his plan to reuse Atarot Airport as a joint airport for Palestinians and Israelis, a proposal that was rejected by the committee and in the more distant past was also rejected by the Palestinian Authority. The position of the government.

The new neighborhood in Atarot that is causing a storm, Photo: Architect Yuval Kadmon

A senior planning official who spoke with "Israel Today" said that the feeling of conducting planning under the supervision and supervision of "Big Brother" from the United States is uncomfortable.

The planning source also estimated that in the case of Atarot, the political echelon was comfortable hanging on to the need to invent an environmental survey, in order to gain time with the United States in a dispute over Atarot, since the survey was supposed to be made by Minister Tamar Zandberg of Meretz, who opposes the neighborhood. He would like to delay the preparation of the survey, however, noting that along the way, Minister Shaked insisted on fending off American pressure to cancel the discussion on the Atarot program.

In contacts between the political echelon in Israel and the United States, it was made clear to the Americans that although Israel did not withdraw from its plan to establish a neighborhood in Atarot, which is part of Jerusalem, approval of the neighborhood would take years. As well as issue tenders for construction in it.

Bennett and Biden at the White House in August.

Heavy American pressure to prevent the construction of the neighborhood, Photo: Avi Ohayon / GPO

Following the decision not to deposit the plan for the time being, the planning director issued a statement stating, among other things: "After reviewing the plan documents and hearing representatives of the plan submitters and the local committee's recommendations, the committee was impressed Uses and public skeleton, while addressing various needs. "

As is well known, the United States strongly opposes a plan to build a 9,000-unit neighborhood in Atarot, which the Jerusalem Municipality's local planning and construction committee approved in principle a few weeks ago.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last week and asked him to prevent the committee from convening.

Bennett rejected the demand, despite the Blinken protest, which was noted by the previous prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who froze the plan for many years.

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