RAMALLAH, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced today the launch of a new city to be built in the ancient city of Jericho, east of the West Bank and will be named Sama Qarantal.
Jabal Qarantal, or Mount of Temptation, where the new city is going to be built, is a hill in Jericho where legend says Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil and where a Greek Orthodox monastery is carved into the stones halfway to the top of the mountain. It is a picturesque Palestinian location that overlooks the Jordan Valley.
Shtayyeh said the project, Sama Qarantal, will be built according to the most modern sustainability methods on an area of 6600 dunums (6.6 square kilometers) and will accommodate in the first phase between 15,000 to 20,000 people.
It will be environment-friendly and will take advantage of renewable resources, collecting rainwater, wastewater reuse, green spaces and biodiversity, along with other concepts that seek to achieve a truly sustainable and comprehensive development and environment to present an urban model to be proud of, said the Prime Minister in introducing this project.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency