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Jerusalem: plans to build military school on Mount of Olives postponed during Obama visit


prayers at Separation Wall

prayers at Separation Wall

Israeli plans to grant final approval for a military academy on the Mount of Olives in annexed east Jerusalem have been delayed, to avoid tensions ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit, army radio said last week.

The controversial project, which will also involve the destruction of the Garden of Gesthemene had been on the agenda of a meeting of the interior ministry's district planning committee, but was taken off at the last moment, the radio report said.

It explained that the plan would not be discussed until after the Obama visit on March 20-22. The project was approved by a local committee in January but still needs the final sign-off by the district committee before tenders can be issued.

Exactly three years ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was deeply embarrassed after the interior ministry announced plans to build 1,600 settler homes in east Jerusalem during a visit by US vice president Joe Biden.

The move triggered a furious response from the Palestinians and an unusually stern rebuke from Washington, which described the timing of the announcement, during Biden's visit, as "insulting." Netanyahu subsequently apologised and ordered an inquiry into the timing of the announcement.

This time, the radio report says Netanyahu has ordered that all bureaucratic approvals of new settlement construction be suspended until after Obama's visit in a move "whose purpose is not to embarrass the political establishment during the president's visit."

Hagit Ofran from the Israeli Peace Now campaign, said there was "no doubt" the delay was linked to Obama's visit.

"Building a military collect in the Palestinian part of Jerusalem in an area as sensitive and disputed as that only undermines the idea of two states for two peoples," she told AFP.

Thousands of pilgrims visit the Mount of Olives each year. It is home to several ancient churches, as well as the Garden of Gethsemane, where the New Testament says Jesus was arrested before his crucifixion. The mount also holds religious significance for Jews, who believe the Messiah will arrive at the site.

Israel captured the eastern half of the city during the 1967 Six Day War. They later annexed it in a move that was condemned internationally. The Palestinians would like to have east Jerusalem as capital of their future state.

In December, a petition was set up appealing for the authorities not to build on the Mount of Olives. If you would like to sign, please see: www.change.org/petitions/reject-plans-to-build-a-military-college-on-the-mount-of-olives

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