Israeli officials on Wednesday recommended about 3,500 new settler homes be built in East Jerusalem, a project repeatedly denounced by the UN, Palestinians and rights groups.
The local planning and housing committee of the city of Jerusalem, consisting of elected municipal officials, backed the construction of the units, officials and NGOs said.
A total of 2,092 such homes are planned near Mount Scopus and 1,465 between the sectors of Givat Hamatos and Har Homa, they said.
These areas are along the "green line" that theoretically separates annexed East Jerusalem, which Palestinians regard as the capital of their own future state.
A limited number of planned units are on the western side, the Israeli side of the city.
Israel captured East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, in 1967 and annexed it in a move not recognised by most of the international community.
It claims the whole of Jerusalem as its indivisible capital.
The projects will now proceed to consideration by Jerusalem's regional planning committee, which has the authority to approve them, on January 17.
"The plans add to the tension on the ground and highlight the blatant discrimination that the government is building in East Jerusalem for Israelis only, while the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the city can build almost nothing," anti-settlement group Peace Now said.
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Vines grow over the terminal building of Jerusalem's abandoned airport. Rosie Scammell / The National -
Greeting a visiting dignitary at Jerusalem airport in the 1960s. Dr Mohammed Al Qutob Family Archive -
The terminal building of the abandoned airport. Rosie Scammell /The National -
It was abandoned 20 years ago. Rosie Scammell / The National -
Air Jordan crew at Jerusalem airport in the 1950s. Dr Mohammad Al Qutob Family Archive -
The view towards Kafr Aqab, a Palestinian neighbourhood, from the airport. Rosie Scammell / The National -
The control room at Jerusalem's disused airport. Rosie Scammell / The National -
Passengers arriving in the 1960s. Dr Mohammed Al Qutob Family Archive -
Members of the Al Qutob family at Jerusalem airport, date unknown. Dr Mohammed Al Qutob Family Archive -
Rusting baggage carousels. Rosie Scammell / The National -
An airstair, used by passengers to reach a plane, now leads to nowhere at Jerusalem's derelict airport. Rosie Scammell / The National -
The Israeli separation barrier, with the Qalandia Palestinian refugee camp in the background. EPA -
Israel's controversial wall and machinery working on the tarmac of the former Jerusalem airport, which has been closed to civilian traffic since the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada in 2000. AFP
Activists and charities fear that building the settler homes between Givat Hamatos and Har Homa could block links between Palestinian districts in East Jerusalem and the neighbouring Palestinian town of Bethlehem.
About 200,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem, alongside 300,000 Palestinians.
Excluding East Jerusalem, about 475,000 Israelis live in settlements in the occupied West Bank that are regarded as illegal under international law, alongside more than 2.8 million Palestinians.
The UN, NGOs and the Palestinian Authority have expressed concerns that the projects will also cut the link between the West Bank and areas of East Jerusalem populated by Palestinians, further undermining any prospect of a Palestinian state.
