Israeli approval of east Jerusalem construction postponed ahead of Kerry speech

The Jerusalem planning committee Wednesday postponed a vote authorizing the construction of almost 500 new homes in east Jerusalem following a request from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office. The suburbs were Gilo and Ramat Shlomo. It came hours before US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to deliver a speech in Washington on his vision for peace in the Middle East, focusing on his ideas for an Israeli-Palestinian accord. The Jerusalem committee also postponed approval for Palestinian housing expansion in the eastern part of the city.