The mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, has stated that settlement construction and development will continue to expand across the whole of Jerusalem regardless of the current political situation.
During a special Knesset session on May 31, for the economy and internal affairs committees, Barkat called for the intensification of efforts toward the approval of a comprehensive reform plan for the settlement construction sector in the Occupied Palestinian Territories including Jerusalem.
Barkat stressed that the municipality was pushing forward with plans for settlement projects across all sectors and urged the Israeli parliament to approve a new group of bills to guarantee that young Jewish couples will have houses and apartments and will be encouraged to stay in Jerusalem.