The recent decision of the Israeli District Planning and Building Committee in Jerusalem to build 9,000 settlement units in the Israeli settlement of Atarot will erase the remnants of the Jerusalem International Airport, built in 1924, the Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday.
Head of Maps at the Arab Studies Society Khalil Tafakji told Anadolu Agency that Israel is planning to establish an entirely new settlement, mostly located on the land of the Jerusalem International Airport.
Old picture, #Jerusalem International Airport
Established date 1920 .#Occupied_Palestine pic.twitter.com/kJbrW1KA1o— عبدالمنعم المير (@MonemAlmeer) June 12, 2020
Until 1967, the Jerusalem International Airport, also known as the Qalandiya Airport, was the only airport in the West Bank. When Israel occupied the territory, it restricted the use of the airport to only domestic flights before closing it completely in 2000.
On Sunday, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that the Israeli District Planning and Building Committee in Jerusalem had approved building 9,000 new settlement units in the Atarot settlement.
It pointed out that this plan was intentionally expedited before the US President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January, as he announced his support during his electoral campaign for the two-state solution.
(Palestine Chronicle, MEMO, Social Media)
