Israel freezes plan for East Jerusalem settlement project
The decision to delay the approval of a new settlement followed a phone call between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
![Settlements](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/2021-12/GettyImages-1236817854.jpg?h=136058b4&itok=qXnTjGMa)
An Israeli state planning commission on Monday halted plans for a controversial settlement project in East Jerusalem, amid pressure from the Biden administration and activists who blasted the housing plan as an obstacle to peace.
The Israeli government had backed a plan to build more than 9,000 new houses at Atarot, a proposed settlement located near the site of the abandoned airport and the Palestinian town of Qalandia.