GOI ISSUES TENDERS TO BUILD IN HAR ADAR AND QARNEI

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 006425

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS SETTLEMENTS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: GOI ISSUES TENDERS TO BUILD IN HAR ADAR AND QARNEI
SHOMROM SETTLEMENTS

This cable has been cleared by Consulate General Jerusalem.


1. (U) Press reported today, November 9, that the Israel
Lands Authority issued a tender for 80 plots to construct
single-family houses in Har Adar settlement, northwest of
Jerusalem. According to the tender, which was published in
Yediot Aharanot, the plots of land will be from 501 to 833
square meters, although most plots are in the 500-square
meter range. The plots can be leased for 98 years, with an
option to extend for an additional 98 years, and will cost a
minimum of NIS100,000, approximately $22,000. The houses
will be privately financed by the residents, and the tender
states that the expenditure for development will be
NIS391,000-521,000, or $87,000-116,000, depending on the size
of the plot. Buyers must bid by December 18. (Note: The
relatively cheap price for a large house and its proximity to
Jerusalem make Har Adar settlement a desirable location. The
Central Bureau of Statistics reported this month that Har
Adar experienced a growth rate of 9.2 percent in the first
nine months of the year. Post will report septel on these
population statistics. End note.)


2. (U) In addition, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) issued a
tender in Globes for the construction of a park "in memory of
those who have fallen" in Qarnei Shomrom settlement in the
Ariel bloc. The JNF will provide a tour of the area on
November 15, and bids are due on November 22.

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