Shas has really turned it around the past few years. I am duly impressed with Shas recently - Eli Yishai has now pushed through a housing project in Jerusalem of 1600 units. The final approval came through yesterday while Joe Biden was in Jerusalem.
Yishai's response to the criticism is that he doesn't really care. The approval had nothign to do with Biden's trip. It was technical, and has been in the works for a few weeks already. The clerks who were working on the paperwork had no idea if or when Biden would be coming to Israel and they simply finalized the approval when the plans and paperwork were completed. And anyway, Jerusalem was never included in the construction freeze.
And now, reports have it that another 1000 housing units in Ramot are in the final stages of getting approval.
Way to go!
Its easy to pass it off as a clerical/procedural announcement. Perhaps Biden and the US are simply unaware that announcements about building in jerusalem are simply standard parts of clerical duties with no oversight by housing minister.
ReplyDeleteAnd why would a housing minister (or party with that portfolio) bother to check if there is any 'standard' paperwork coming down the pipeline while important dignitaries are in town and might be embarrassed.
They couldn't have waited a week to announce? The way it was done might feel good, to piss in the wind, but does it help?