Bibi’s Government Forms a Committee For Arab Druze Towns

The Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office has announced the formation of a new committee tasked with addressing the persistent issues of planning and construction in Arab Druze villages. This announcement was made during a meeting with local leaders of the Arab Druze and Circassian communities. The committee will focus on presenting recommendations that align planning and construction policies with the specific needs of these communities, who continue to face systematic discrimination in the form of numerous demolition orders issued by Israeli planning authorities.

In a public statement, the Prime Minister’s Office declared its intention to establish a committee dedicated to resolving planning and construction challenges in Arab Druze and Circassian villages, which are primarily located in the Galilee and Carmel regions. Currently, these villages fall under the jurisdiction of the Haifa and Galilee District Planning Committees. However, the proposed committee’s establishment may require legal amendments that face opposition, particularly from the Ministries of Finance and National Security.

Like many Arab villages, Arab Druze communities have long suffered from discriminatory policies perpetuated by Israeli planning institutions. These bodies, including the National Planning and Building Council, have consistently neglected the pressing needs of Arab localities, exacerbating the housing crisis and leaving these communities without adequate development plans. Instead of holding these institutions accountable, the government introduced the 2018 “Kaminitz Law” which intensified punitive measures against unauthorized construction. The law facilitated increased home demolitions, imposed severe financial penalties, and created a hostile environment for Arabs exercising their fundamental right to housing.

Despite the service of many Arab Druze in the Israeli army, their villages remain subjected to these oppressive practices. Numerous demolition orders have been issued against community members, with some individuals facing criminal prosecution and even imprisonment for building homes without permits.

Experts in planning and construction have criticized the government’s recent statement, calling it misleading. They assert that the required legal changes are unlikely to materialize, leaving young couples and families in these villages, as in other Arab localities, to continue suffering under an oppressive planning regime. Meanwhile, the government has demonstrated its capacity to swiftly legalize Jewish “individual farms” in the Negev, passing a special law within a year to facilitate this process.

In spite of political opposition, particularly concerning the temporary electricity law, the Prime Minister’s Office has committed to addressing the electricity crisis in these villages through the committee’s work. However, there remains widespread skepticism about whether this promise will lead to meaningful change.

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