The Safdie Plan, which calls for the construction of 20,000 housing units in beautiful forested areas at the entrances to Jerusalem, has aroused many objections over the years. Some 1,000 people demonstrated in Jerusalem against it this morning, while the National Construction and Planning Committee held a critical five-hour meeting to decide the future of the project.
Anti-climactically, the decision - released two hours later than scheduled - was to allow two more months of deliberations before a final ruling. The Committee announced that it had asked the Planning Director to submit, in two months' time ,a report on the status of available plots and areas in Jerusalem.
The Safdie Plan calls for the construction of several new neighborhoods that will connect western Jerusalem with Mevaseret Zion, Hadassah Ein Karem, and other areas - at the expense of vast forested areas. In addition, a main highway is to be built in the area, according to the planners.
Both supporters and opponents of the project agree that today's meeting was to be an extremely important event helping to determine the overall direction of Jerusalem's environment and green spaces.
Click here to read excerpts of a summer Knesset debate on the issue.
Opponents of the plan say they are struggling to prevent the weakening of the older neighborhoods of Jerusalem as well as the city center, and to protect and maintain the natural areas from unnecessary destruction.
Other opposition groups say that the plan would "pull" Jerusalem westward instead of to the east, leaving areas such as Maaleh Adumim and those near the Old City more open to Palestinian Authority influence and construction.
Shani Zibernberg, one of the coordinators of the 3.5-year public struggle against the Safdie Plan, told Arutz-7 from the protest site, "If the plan is rejected - which I feel confident that it will be - then it will be a signal to contractors all over the country that they can't just take a green area and say they want to build there, just because they want to make money..."
"In response to those who claim that Jerusalem must be allowed to grow," she said, "we answer that room for some 30,000 units have been found within Jerusalem areas that are currently built up. On the contrary, people with money shouldn't be encouraged to leave the inner city areas, but should rather be encouraged to remain in some of the city's struggling neighborhoods, such as Gilo."
About 1,000 people demonstrated from 8 AM til 10 AM, "greeting the Committee members as they came for their meeting," Shani said, "and now , about 100 of us are still here, yelling our slogans - and we know that they hear us... At noon we will hear the decision, and we are all in insane suspense - but I know that we will win."
A-7: "How are you so sure?"
Shani: "Because I'm optimistic. And also because we have worked very hard over the past three and a half years, lobbying the 30+ committee members and explaining to them the pitfalls and disadvantages of this plan."
Shani - whose last name means 'seven mountains,' which she says is exactly what she wants to retain around Jerusalem - admits that a compromise is likely:
"It's possible that they will vote to approve the construction of about 7,500 units between Mevaseret Zion and Jerusalem. But even this is unnecessary, and we will object to this as well."
Anti-climactically, the decision - released two hours later than scheduled - was to allow two more months of deliberations before a final ruling. The Committee announced that it had asked the Planning Director to submit, in two months' time ,a report on the status of available plots and areas in Jerusalem.
The Safdie Plan calls for the construction of several new neighborhoods that will connect western Jerusalem with Mevaseret Zion, Hadassah Ein Karem, and other areas - at the expense of vast forested areas. In addition, a main highway is to be built in the area, according to the planners.
Both supporters and opponents of the project agree that today's meeting was to be an extremely important event helping to determine the overall direction of Jerusalem's environment and green spaces.
Click here to read excerpts of a summer Knesset debate on the issue.
Opponents of the plan say they are struggling to prevent the weakening of the older neighborhoods of Jerusalem as well as the city center, and to protect and maintain the natural areas from unnecessary destruction.
Other opposition groups say that the plan would "pull" Jerusalem westward instead of to the east, leaving areas such as Maaleh Adumim and those near the Old City more open to Palestinian Authority influence and construction.
Shani Zibernberg, one of the coordinators of the 3.5-year public struggle against the Safdie Plan, told Arutz-7 from the protest site, "If the plan is rejected - which I feel confident that it will be - then it will be a signal to contractors all over the country that they can't just take a green area and say they want to build there, just because they want to make money..."
"In response to those who claim that Jerusalem must be allowed to grow," she said, "we answer that room for some 30,000 units have been found within Jerusalem areas that are currently built up. On the contrary, people with money shouldn't be encouraged to leave the inner city areas, but should rather be encouraged to remain in some of the city's struggling neighborhoods, such as Gilo."
About 1,000 people demonstrated from 8 AM til 10 AM, "greeting the Committee members as they came for their meeting," Shani said, "and now , about 100 of us are still here, yelling our slogans - and we know that they hear us... At noon we will hear the decision, and we are all in insane suspense - but I know that we will win."
A-7: "How are you so sure?"
Shani: "Because I'm optimistic. And also because we have worked very hard over the past three and a half years, lobbying the 30+ committee members and explaining to them the pitfalls and disadvantages of this plan."
Shani - whose last name means 'seven mountains,' which she says is exactly what she wants to retain around Jerusalem - admits that a compromise is likely:
"It's possible that they will vote to approve the construction of about 7,500 units between Mevaseret Zion and Jerusalem. But even this is unnecessary, and we will object to this as well."