An Israeli settler movement has submitted an application for a new Jewish neighbourhood in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerusalem.
The Amara movement submitted a proposal to the planning association to build a Jewish neighbourhood comprising 122 housing units at the former site of the Shepherd Hotel.
The Shepherd Hotel, often referred to as the "Mufti's House", was originally built in the 1930s for the former mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, though he never actually lived there. It was demolished in 2009.
The application is scheduled for an initial hearing before Jerusalem’s Local Planning and Building Committee on 11 November.
Founded in the 1970s, Amara has been one of the prime driving forces behind settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories, but this latest development would be its first settlement in Sheikh Jarrah.
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The news comes as Israeli forces launched a widespread operation targeting the West Bank city of Hebron.
Israeli forces have detained at least 20 Palestinians during the ongoing military siege, which has also led to the displacement of more than 2,200 people.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces stormed most neighbourhoods of Hebron, raided and searched homes, and subjected citizens to abuse before detaining several Palestinians.
The forces also raided the towns of Dura, Yatta and as-Samu, south of Hebron, detaining 11 Palestinians after storming their homes and mistreating them.
Two more Palestinians were detained in Tarqumiya, west of Hebron, along with others from the town of Halhul to the north.
Wafa reported that Israeli forces turned several Palestinian homes into barracks and observation posts.
The news agency said troops took over homes in the Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun areas of southern Hebron to be used as barracks.
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