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Jerusalem Mayor Denies Housing Construction Freeze

(AP-Washington Post) Matthew Lee - Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Tuesday denied any formal or informal freeze in Jewish housing construction in the eastern part of the city and that reports of a de facto halt to building Jewish homes there were wrong. He also said he could not accept Palestinian control of any portion of the city, likening such a move to putting a "Trojan horse" into the middle of a predominantly Jewish community. "There is no freeze," the mayor said during a visit to Washington. "It's not true." He added that he foresees the city's population growing from 800,000 to 1 million in 10 years, keeping a 65-35% ratio between Jewish and Arab residents. He said that the current slowdown was the result of Israeli shock at being "slapped in the face" by the U.S. "It takes some time to recover from such an attack from a friend like the U.S. administration," Barkat said, adding that local and district commissions that oversee housing approvals had begun to meet after a brief hiatus.
2010-04-28 09:14:12
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