The new Palestinian city that lacks only one thing

posted on: Feb 10, 2015

A Palestinian millionaire has built a totally new city from scratch in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, complete with a Roman amphitheatre and football stadium. But one thing is stopping people moving in – there’s no water.

You know what they say about property: “Location, location, location.”

What about building in the midst of one of the world’s most intractable conflicts?

“It’s the biggest ever project in Palestinian history,” exclaims American-Palestinian multi-millionaire Bashar Masri, the driving force behind a new Palestinian city in the hills of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

“There’s nothing even close to this, not even half this,” Masri enthuses. We’re walking across what will be a grand Roman amphitheatre in the foothills of a jagged skyline of apartment blocks that, one day, 25,000 people may call home. There’s also the promise of cinemas and shops, parks and playing fields, to complete the kind of middle class dream you’d see in a property development anywhere.

But build on controversial land, and controversy comes with the price.

Source: www.bbc.com