Israel’s ‘strangling’ of Bethlehem tightens as world debates annexation

"According to a Peace Now statement released Monday, the Israeli Housing Ministry announced that bids for housing units at Givat Hamatos would now be open from August 2 to September 7. In addition, the Israeli NGO Ir Amim reported that on May 25, the Jerusalem District Committee gave final approval for the construction of 2,000 units in Har Homa East, adjacent to Givat Hamatos. The plan would connect Har Homa to Gilo and create a contiguous, built-up Israeli area between Bethlehem’s north and East Jerusalem."