Rights group: Israel puts Jerusalem settlement plan on hold

JERUSALEM (AP) — A rights group says Israeli authorities appear to have put plans to build a large Jewish settlement at an abandoned airport in east Jerusalem on hold, at least for now. Plans for the Atarot settlement called for building 9,000 housing units marketed to ultra-Orthodox Jews in an open area next to three densely populated Palestinian communities, one of which is behind Israel’s controversial separation barrier. The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said a planning committee meeting at which the project was to be approved has been cancelled. An official at the municipality says she is not aware of any move to shelve the project.