Israel okays 50 new settler homes in East Jerusalem

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JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel on Monday approved plans for 50 new settler homes in annexed East Jerusalem as Pope Francis wrapped up a visit to the region, city officials said.

"The municipality has given the green light to build 50 new housing units in five buildings in Har Homa," city Councillor Yosef Pepe Alalu told AFP.

Har Homa is a settlement neighborhood in the southern sector of East Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War then annexed, in a move not recognized by the international community.

The settlement was built in 1997 on a wooded hill top known as Jabal Abu Ghneim.

It was the first such announcement of Israeli plans to build on land seized in 1967 since the collapse last month of the US-led peace talks. more

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