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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.
An aerial view shows a bridge under construction as part of The American Road, an Israeli ring road that is being built through East Jerusalem. The construction is in Sur Baher, a Palestinian neighbourhood of East Jerusalem May 10, 2020. Picture taken May 10, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg - RC2O9H9UGLEJ
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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).

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