The city of Jerusalem canceled a vote Wednesday to approve the construction of 492 units -- such as homes, synagogues and other public buildings -- in East Jerusalem, a city council member said.

The decision follows a request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said council member Hanan Rubin, who's also a member of the city's zoning committee.

It comes days after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning Israel's settlementsin the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. It also comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry prepares to give a speech on the Obama administration's vision for Middle East peace.

"The municipality regards housing in Jerusalem as a municipal need rather than a political action, and therefore there is no need to vote on this on a sensitive day when John Kerry is to give a speech," Rubin said. "We don't want to be a part of a political controversy."

The reason behind Netanyahu's call for the city council's vote to be canceled remains unclear.

He could perhaps have been responding to criticism from within his own party that he had gone too far in his battle of words with US President Barack Obama. Alternatively, he may have wanted to build a little goodwill, hours ahead of Kerry's speech at the State Department in Washington.

The vote could still come before the city council's zoning committee in the future.

(Source: CNN)