Forty-two MK’s and cabinet members have petitioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resolve the housing crisis by building in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to Haaretz. The petition was given to Netanyahu on Tuesday, signed entirely by members of the Eretz Yisrael Lobby.
The petition states, “in light of the housing crisis throughout the country, we, as members of Knesset and signatories, call on you [Netanyahu] and the government to consider all possible solutions, including the immediate housing of tens of thousands of citizens in Judea and Samaria, as well as Jerusalem.”
The Prime Minister has made no official response to the petition.
This event fulfills fears that the housing crisis in Israel might fuel further settlement development in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
There are currently approximately 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Illegal settlement construction has been a major obstacle in the peace process; most recently last year when talks collapsed because Netanyahu refused to freeze construction.
