The building freeze in the Jerusalem area and the commensurate lack of apartments is taking its toll. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat recently called on foreigners to rent their vacation apartments in Jerusalem to students.
According to a new study some 9000 Jerusalem apartments are owned by foreigners who use them only for vacations and remain empty most of the year. The study predicts that by 2015 a quarter of the apartments in the city center will be empty.