The Jerusalem District Planning Committee on Monday froze the plans for the construction of a new Chareidi neighborhood in Atarot, saying that a survey must first be carried out on the “environmental concerns” of the area’s location on potential residents.

Representatives of the Health and Environmental Protection ministries, both headed by Meretz ministers who adamantly oppose Jewish construction in east Jerusalem, attended the hearing and claimed that the building plans must be evaluated for how the neighborhood’s proximity to the Atarot Industrial Zone will affect the residents’ quality of life.

The survey will delay the construction plan for at least a year.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is under intense pressure from the Biden administration to thwart the construction of the neighborhood due to it posing an obstacle to a “two-state solution” has already promised Biden administration officials that he will freeze the plan when it reaches the state level.

Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli (Labor) and Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej (Meretz) are pushing a plan to revive the site, located on the grounds of the old Atarot Airport, as an international airport that will serve Israelis and Palestinians.

“We can build an airport that will serve the metropolitan Jerusalem area — including 3 million Palestinians who can only travel abroad via Jordan,” Frej said at the meeting.

Earlier on Monday, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said at a Yesh Atid faction meeting that the government will develop a policy for Atarot that will not lead to a confrontation with the US government.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)