Huge gaps: the government does not meet the housing goals for the ultra-Orthodox (Photo: ShutterStock)
When you go into the background of the growing housing crisis in Israel - you can find the issue of housing for the ultra-orthodox, which is defined as a national challenge.
The ultra-Orthodox sector has been suffering from an acute housing crisis for years - when the accelerated rate of multiplication in ultra-Orthodox society, which stands at 4% per year, does not help.
The State Comptroller does find enormous gaps in the provision of assistance to the ultra-Orthodox population in all matters related to housing, but it is worth noting that this year Minister Goldknopf is actually consistently reducing this gap, which is not reflected in the report, starting with an entire quarter in Kiryat Gat intended for the ultra-Orthodox, through the expansion of Beitar Elit and the first village council of its kind for the ultra-Orthodox in the Galilee on the border of the Golan.
And yet - the report shows that the expected proportion of the ultra-Orthodox population of the total population in 2035 is 19%, compared to 14% of the country's population in 2022. The forecasts speak of a need for a total of 200,000 new apartments intended for the ultra-Orthodox public by 2035 - that is, Construction projects that combine public areas with ultra-Orthodox public institutions, such as mikvahs, synagogues, educational institutions, etc.
There is a construction boom in the last year - but it is not enough
The problem, according to the report, lies in the following figure: the rate of granting building permits for the plans for the ultra-Orthodox population between 2017-2021 is only 4%, out of approximately 625,000 housing units approved in those years. According to the data of the National Economic Council in the Prime Minister's
Office , in the years 2022-2006, there was a cumulative shortage of approximately 189,000 housing units for the entire population, and this is because the number of housing units built was less than required according to housing needs. The audit revealed that following the government's decision, the Ministry of
Construction and RMI did promote the submission of plans in 2021-2016 and land marketing for the ultra-Orthodox population - however, the scope of planning and marketing was lower than required to meet the housing needs of the ultra-Orthodox population, in accordance with the housing plans for this population.
It also appears that until October 2022, the examination of the possibility of expansion in the jurisdiction of existing ultra-Orthodox settlements did not result in a significant addition of land for the construction of housing units for the ultra-Orthodox population.
Reviewer Engelman's recommendation
Comptroller Engelman
recommends that the Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Israel Lands Authority, in cooperation with the Planning Administration, promote the planning and marketing of land for the ultra-Orthodox population to the extent that it will meet its housing needs, in accordance with the goals that will be set and taking into account the housing solutions that are possible and necessary to promote for the entire population.
It is also recommended that the Urban Renewal Authority promote the processes of urban renewal among the ultra-orthodox population, in cooperation with the relevant local authorities, as appropriate, while paying attention to the unique barriers to advancement among this population.
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The Israel Land Authority's response to the State Comptroller's report
"The Israel Land Authority is working to realize all the residential plots on Israel's lands, which are statutorily approved and which are available for marketing. At the same time, a large part of the approved plans cannot be realized immediately, due, among other things, to infrastructure barriers, owners, encroachers and the need for agreements with the local government."
"Starting in 2021, significant achievements were made in record marketing, which reached to date approximately 250,000 units and actual transactions were conducted to the extent of approximately 160,000 units. The Israel Land Authority will continue to work vigorously to increase the supply of residential land. Only increasing the supply will result in To the drop in housing prices, a drop that can already be seen in the bud and in our estimation will continue."
Real estate
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State Comptroller
