MK Hamad Amar of Yisrael Beitenu raised objections today to clauses of the bill to reform the planning laws, in a joint session of the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee and Economic Affairs Committee, and voted with the opposition. This comes against the background of the victory of Minister of Housing and Construction Ariel Atias in the battle over the criteria for low-price housing. The criteria set are seen as favoring Atias's haredi constituency.
The joint session resumed at 13:30 after a lunchtime break, and after Amar's vote was halted again, with a view to resumption at 15:00. A meeting of the Yisrael Beitenu faction was held meanwhile to discuss the voting.
Discussion began this morning of some 600 sections of the reform, known as the "balcony reform", being promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The committees approved an additional section proposed by MK Israel Eichler (United Torah Judaism), a provisional measure allowing large apartments to be split into separate apartments without the need for a building permit or payment of betterment tax as long as the units formed by the division of the apartment are for tenants unrelated to the owner.
Among MKs who submitted amendments were Dov Khenin (Hadash), who filed 1,000 amendments on behalf of his party, and MK Nitzan Horowitz (New Movement Meretz), who filed 500 amendments.
Khenin called on the government to "halt the train of the destructive upset of the planning system." He added, "This law concentrates power. Local committees in the periphery and in weak communities will lose their powers. In such a small country, well-thought out planning is critical. The law will lead to a rise in home prices and to economic damage, and will deepen gaps between weak and strong local authorities."
Before the session, Horowitz said, "Netanyahu's balcony reform is a monster masquerading as a balcony. This is a law that serves the interest of the wealthy and certain sections of society, and is entirely a matter of silencing the public, harming society and the environment, and opening the door to corruption along the lines of the Holyland development. The law will shape the appearance of the country for many years. Despite an unprecedented coalition of opponents, the prime minister is aggressively pushing it, as though he were the captain of the Titanic."
"A useless measure"
MK Prof. Avishay Braverman (Labor), who is coordinating the campaign against the law for the Labor Party, also attacked the bill. "The prime minister's intention of cutting bureaucracy and improving the situation of the ordinary citizen was excellent. The result is the most complicated and convoluted law in the country, one that will enrich the go-betweens, the lawyers, and the various consultants. It will raise housing prices and harm ordinary people." Braverman added that "the reform, which began out of a desire to simplify the law and cut bureaucracy, will turn out to be a useless measure when the law is implemented."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 12, 2012
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