Israel says it is suspending the construction of a neighborhood in the Givat Ze'ev settlement north of Jerusalem, Haaretz reported Friday. The halt contradicts Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's promise to Shas leader Eli Yishai that there would be no construction freeze in the greater Jerusalem area.
The state's attorneys informed the Jerusalem District Court Earlier this week that continued building of the Givat Ze'ev neighborhood would not be approved. It cited instructions from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to halt construction in Judea and Samaria
The Housing Ministry and Israel Lands Administration (ILA) started marketing lots for the 600 housing units in Givat Ze'ev's Agan Ayalot neighborhood in 1999, but stopped near the end of 2000 after the eruption of the Terror War.