Jerusalem: Jerusalem's mayor unveiled a plan
on Tuesday to demolish dozens of Palestinian homes to make room for
a tourist centre in one of the disputed city's most volatile
neighbourhoods, drawing criticism from Palestinians and the
United Nations.
Mayor Nir Barkat agreed to last-minute request from
Israel's prime minister to consult Palestinian residents
before breaking ground. That could delay the plan for an
unknown period of time, but the move threatened to raise
tensions in the holy city just as the Obama administration
makes a new push to renew Mideast peace talks.
"There is no way the Palestinians can accept the
demolishing of houses in Jerusalem and the continuation of
building settlements for the Jewish settlers, while the United
States is trying to bring the parties together," Palestinian
Cabinet minister Mohammed Ishtayeh told The Associated Press.
"We fully and totally condemn all these Israeli measures."
At a news conference, Barkat presented his plan as a much
needed upgrade of Jerusalem's decaying al-Bustan
neighbourhood, which Israeli officials have begun calling Gan
Hamelech, or the King's Garden, linking it to the site where
the biblical King David is said to have written his psalms.
The city wants to build shops, restaurants, art galleries
and a large community centre replete with day care facilities
and gyms.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, March 03, 2010, 00:15