Israel Approves New Housing Units for East Jerusalem
The government of Israel has approved the construction of 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem. Another 2,700 units are to be authorized later in August. The announcement drew immediate condemnation (criticism) from Palestinian leaders, who claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian nation. On August 9, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama criticized Israel for moving forward with the building of some 900 housing units in another part of East Jerusalem.
Control of East Jerusalem has long been an issue between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. East Jerusalem is the site of the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), one of the most sacred sites in Judaism, and the Dome of the Rock, one of the most holy of Muslim shrines. The Western Wall is what is left of the wall that surrounded the Temple Mount, on which stood the Second Temple described in the Bible. According to Islamic tradition, the rock enclosed by the Dome of the Rock–which sits on the Temple Mount–is the spot from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
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