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Jerusalem moving ahead with controversial park project

Jerusalem municipality on Monday said it was moving ahead with plans to build a new archaeological park that call for the demolition of 22 Arab homes, raising fears of unrest in the Holy City.

The city's planning and building committee approved the Gan Hamelech (King's Garden) project, a municipal spokesman said, using the Hebrew name for the area outside Jerusalem's Old City known as Al-Bustan to its mostly Arab residents.

In March, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Jerusalem's Mayor Nir Barkat to freeze the project to avoid sparking conflict in Jerusalem and further straining ties with Washington amid a row over Jewish settlements....

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