Israeli settlers disrupted a visit on Monday by a European Union (EU) delegation to a neighbourhood in East Jerusalem where Israel plans to build more than 1,200 housing units.
A video published in Israeli media shows activists shouting "anti-Semites go home," "anti-Semites go back to Europe" as EU representatives attempted to speak.
Two Jerusalem city council members were among the chanting protesters, according to the Kan public broadcaster.
Shadi Othman, spokesperson for the EU delegation in East Jerusalem, told dpa the goal was to send a political message "which reiterates the EU position against any settlements anywhere inside the West Bank or East Jerusalem."
Israel on Sunday moved forward with plans for the construction of housing for Israelis in a highly sensitive area known as Givat Hamatos.
The tender was first published in February, but, since then, 180 additional units have been added, for a total of 1,257 units. The final day for submitting proposals is January 18, just days before a new US administration is sworn in.
The EU slammed the opening of the Givat Hamatos bidding process, saying it jeopardized the "eventual resumption of meaningful negotiations" by undermining trust.
The bloc views Israeli settlements as illegal.
"This is one of the key puzzle pieces for breaking up the main Palestinian metropolitan area," Peace Now's Brian Reeves told dpa, referring to East Jerusalem, and to the Palestinian autonomous cities of Bethlehem to the south and Ramallah to the north.
The move may also cause a confrontation with US president-elect Joe Biden, a strong supporter of the two-state solution.
