Netanyahu's Jerusalem construction a stalling strategy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is escalating the situation in East Jerusalem by announcing more construction plans that, even if not enacted, assure the stability of his right-wing coalition and head off talks with the Palestinians.
A labourer works on an apartment building under construction in a Jewish settlement known to Israelis as Har Homa and to Palestinians as Jabal Abu Ghneim in an area of the West Bank that Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed to the city of Jerusalem, October 28, 2014. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will expedite planning for some 1,000 settler homes in East Jerusalem, a government official said on Monday, in a bid to placate a restive coalition ally without further aggravating a dispute with
A laborer works on an apartment building under construction in a Jewish settlement known to Israelis as Har Homa and to Palestinians as Jabal Abu Ghneim in an area of the West Bank that Israel captured in the 1967 war and annexed to the city of Jerusalem, Oct. 28, 2014. - REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
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Akiva Eldar
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This time it was Israel TV Channel 2’s correspondent Amit Segal who provided the latest “scoop” about “new Jerusalem construction plans.” Segal reported Oct. 26 on the outcome of a dramatic meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett. This was preceded by a series of reports about an ultimatum that Bennett’s HaBayit HaYehudi Party had presented Netanyahu with: construction in the settlements or demolition of the coalition.

Segal’s report was accompanied by an announcement from the prime minister’s office to diplomatic affairs correspondents regarding his intention to speed up the construction of 1,060 housing units in East Jerusalem, 2,000 in the West Bank and also several infrastructure projects there.

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