JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Jerusalem municipal committee approved the construction of 78 new housing units in eastern Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee approved 50 apartments in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot and 28 apartments in the southeast neighborhood of Har Homa , Israeli media reported Wednesday.

In recent weeks the Jerusalem municipality has advanced plans for some 4,000 apartments in eastern Jerusalem, bringing international condemnation and angering Palestinians.

“These decisions are a continuation of the Israeli government’s policy to cause more tension, push towards further escalation and waste any chance to create an atmosphere for calm,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement.