Israel's newly elected mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, said today he supported government plans to build more homes for Jews in and around Arab East Jerusalem.
"I believe that because we have problems in house prices on the Jewish side of the city for many, many young Jewish couples, we must ensure that new apartments are built in Jerusalem, both east and west," Mr Barkat, speaking in English, told reporters.
Palestinians, who make up 34 per cent of the city's population and largely boycotted Tuesday's mayoral vote, say Israeli construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, lands captured in a 1967 war, threatens their plans to found a state.
A US-backed peace "road map" requires that Israel halt all settlement activity and that Palestinians rein in militants.
Israel, which calls all of Jerusalem its "eternal and undivided capital" - a status not recognised internationally - plans to keep all of the city as well as major West Bank settlement blocs under any peace accord.
"These are areas that are controlled by the government, they are owned by Jews, they are not owned by Arabs,"Mr Barkat said.
"I see no reason why current neighbourhoods should not be expanded [by building] more apartments for people who want to stay in Jerusalem and don't have the right solutions."
But he also pledged "better planning and building and serving [for] Arab residents in East Jerusalem."
Mr Barkat (49), succeeds ultra-Orthodox Uri Lupolianski, who served a five-year term after Israeli prime pinister Ehud Olmert's two consecutive terms as mayor.
He ran on a platform of fighting poverty and unemployment in the city. He also pledged to reverse an exodus of secular, mainly young Jerusalemites seeking better employment opportunities in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities.
Some 160 local elections were held across Israel on Tuesday, but with many of the candidates unaffiliated with major political parties, the vote was not seen as having a significant impact on a national parliamentary poll scheduled for February 10th.
Reuters