Israel's 'Silicon Valley' to further fragment East Jerusalem
Israel is preparing to begin work on a project known as "Silicon Wadi" in Jerusalem in what locals perceive as another move to alter the city’s demographic makeup and infrastructure.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Israeli municipality in Jerusalem is embarking on a mega project it dubbed "Silicon Wadi" (Arabic for "Silicon Valley," a reference to the US region where thousands of tech giants are based) in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood of East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.
The project, announced June 3, is designed to create a technological, financial, business, commercial and hospitality hub. The plan allocates 250,000 square meters to high-tech industrial employment centers, 50,000 to shopping centers and another 50,000 to hotels. The construction, which will take until 2022, will cost an estimated 2.1 billion shekels ($600 million).
