The far-left Peace Now movement is pressuring heads of the Blue and White Party, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to stop the tender for the construction of 1,077 housing units in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood across the pre-'67 line in Jerusalem.
There are additional plans for further construction in the neighborhood, along with intensions for expansion of the nearby Har Homa neighborhood, and the E-1 corridor between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim.
The master plan for expansion in Givat HaMatos and Har Homa provides for the construction of 6,100 new housing units.
"This is a destructive plan that, if implemented, will permanently block the possibility of creating a territorial continuum between East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and close in Beit Safafa, making it an enclave within Israel without any possibility of connection with a future Palestinian state," stated the letter to Gantz and Ashkenazi.
Peace Now noted that "Israel received international condemnations from all directions as soon as it mentioned its intention to carry out the move and its final approval in September, 2014 cast a heavy shadow over Netanyahu's meeting with U.S. President Obama."
The letter also mentioned that this morning it was reported that 15 European countries, including France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain officially condemned the move, demanding it be discontinued immediately.
On July 30, the French government stated that, “Any further settlement construction in this strategically sensitive area will have a devastating impact on a contiguous Palestinian State, as well as severely undermining the possibility of a negotiated two-state solution in line with internationally agreed parameters.”
“Settlements are illegal under International Humanitarian Law,” concluded the condemnation.
Addressing Gantz and Ashkenazi, the letter added: "As individuals holding senior government positions and members of a party that has spoken highly about unity in Israeli society and desire for peace, you must stand in the way of this destructive plan in order to set the country's healing process in motion and keep alive the chances of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians." The letter from Peace Now then quoted Mordechai's prophetic question to Queen Esther: "And who knows if you have become queen for such a time as now?"