Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said on Monday, "Jerusalem must expand and become a metropolis. The combination of communities around Jerusalem and the city will help change the demographic balance and allow the suburbs to develop for young couples who cannot live in Jerusalem today."
Speaking at the Greater Jerusalem Conference in the Knesset, organized by Member of Knesset Yehuda Glick (Likud), Hotovely said, "This approach will strengthen both the status of Jerusalem and [address] the building shortage." She concluded, "To make sure that Jerusalem is not divided, we have to strengthen it."