Ramat Shlomo

Ramat Shlomo (Hebrew: רמת שלמה‎, lit. Shlomo's (Solomon's) Heights) is a large Jewish housing development in northern East Jerusalem. The population, mostly ultra-Orthodox, is 20,000.

Ramat Shlomo was built on land occupied by Israel since its capture from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. The international community considers Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Ramat Shlomo was founded in 1995. It borders Ramot to the west, Har Hotzvim to the south, and Shuafat to the east. Initially called Reches Shuafat (Shuafat Ridge), it was later named for Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.

Originally Ramat Shlomo was supposed to be the site of the Teddy Stadium. After lengthy protest by Haredi Jews living in neighborhoods overlooking the future stadium, the stadium was moved to the Malha neighbourhood.

Less than 200 meters separate the neighborhood's furthermost houses from the first row of homes in Shuafat and Beit Hanina.

In June 2008, Israel's interior ministry approved construction of an additional 1,300 apartments in Ramat Shlomo. Israel says that most of the building is on land annexed by the state and thus does not violate its commitment not to build on disputed land.

In March 2010, the Jerusalem municipality approved the construction of an additional 1,600 apartments in Ramat Shlomo. The announcement coincided with the visit of U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, angering the U.S. government and prompting the Palestinian Authority to pull out of US-brokered indirect "proximity talks" intended to revive the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. The European Union was also critical of the decision. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied that Israel's policy on building in Jerusalem was the same policy followed by all Israeli governments over the past 42 years, and had not changed.

...
Wikipedia