Government bill · 25th Knesset · published as law 19 March 2024

חוק התכנון והבנייה (תיקון מס' 151), התשפ"ד-2024Law on Planning and Construction (Amendment No. 151), 2024 · automatic translation · suggest a correction

Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית

Topics: Housing, land and construction* · * from the Knesset's official law classification

Official summary of the law (Knesset)

Amendment No. 151 established several changes in the composition of the planning institutions: in the National Council for Planning and Building, a government representative was added, as well as two public representatives – one from the Arab population, including the Druze and Circassian communities, and the other from the Haredi population. In addition, it was determined that the alternate for the representative of engineers and architects will be from among an organization representing contractors. It is also proposed to broaden the possibility of appointing a representative from institutions of higher education so that a representative from higher education institutions other than the Technion may also be appointed. In the National Infrastructure Committee, a representative of the Minister of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience was added, as well as a representative of an organization dealing with social and welfare issues, and an observer from the Nature and Parks Authority. In the district committees, a representative of the Ministry of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience and a representative of an organization dealing with social welfare were added. In the local committees, representatives with advisory opinions were added. In the Committee for the Protection of Agricultural Land, representatives of the Ministry of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience and a representative of higher education institutions were added, and in the Committee for the Protection of the Coastal Environment, a representative of the Ministry of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience and a representative of local authorities were added. It was further determined that in all planning institutions, the term of office of members of the planning institution (except for certain officeholders) may be extended for two additional terms instead of just one, as was previously the case.

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Hebrew original

בתיקון מס' 151 נקבעו מספר שינויים בהרכב מוסדות התכנון: במועצה הארצית לתכנון ובנייה נוסף נציג ממשלה, וכן נוספו שני נציגי ציבור – האחד, בן האוכלוסיה הערבית לרבות הדרוזית והצ'רקסית והשני בן האוכלוסייה החרדית. בנוסף לכך, נקבע שממלא המקום של נציג המהנדסים והאדריכלים יהיה מקרב ארגון המייצג את הקבלנים. בנוסף מוצע להרחיב את האפשרות למינוי נציג מהמוסדות להשכלה הגבוהה כך שניתן יהיה למנות נציג ממוסדות השכלה גבוהים שאינם בהכרח הטכניון. בועדה לתשתיות לאומיות נוסף נציג שר הנגב, הגליל והחוסן הלאומי נציג ארגון העוסק בנושאי חברה ורווחה, ומשקיף של רשות הטבע והגנים. בוועדות המחוזיות נוסף נציג של משרד משרד הנגב, הגליל והחוסן הלאומי ונציג ארגון העוסק בחברה ורווחה. בוועדות המקומיות נוספו נציגים בעלי דעה מייעצת. בוועדה לשמירה על הקרקע החקלאית נוספו נציגים של משרד הנגב, הגליל והחוסן הלאומי ונציג המוסדות להשכלה גבוהה ובוועדה לשמירת הסביבה החופית נוסף נציג משרד הנגב, הגליל והחוסן הלאומי ונציג הרשויות המקומיות." עוד נקבע כי בכל מוסדות התכנון ניתן יהיה להאריך את כהונתם של חברי מוסד התכנון (למעט בעלי תפקידים מסוימים) בשתי תקופות כהונה נוספות ולא אחת כפי שהיה קודם לכן.

Readings

What was said in the plenum

The law deals with changing the composition of the planning institutions (the National Council, the Committee for National Infrastructure, and the district and local committees), adding to them new government representatives – of the Minister for the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience and of the Minister of Settlement and National Missions – alongside additional public and civil society representatives added as a balancing step. The debate mainly concerned the question of whether the addition serves professional planning and a balance between interests or constitutes a politicization of the planning institutions in favor of sectoral and demographic interests, while a large part of the speeches were devoted to topics not directly related to the law, such as the war, the hostages, and economic and security criticism of the government.

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Hebrew original

החוק עוסק בשינוי הרכב מוסדות התכנון (המועצה הארצית, הוועדה לתשתיות לאומיות והוועדות המחוזיות והמקומיות), ומוסיף להם נציגים ממשלתיים חדשים – של השר לנגב, הגליל והחוסן הלאומי ושל השרה להתיישבות ולמשימות לאומיות – לצד נציגי ציבור וחברה אזרחית נוספים שהוספו כצעד מאזן. הדיון נסב בעיקר על השאלה האם התוספת משרתת תכנון מקצועי ואיזון בין אינטרסים או מהווה פוליטיזציה של מוסדות התכנון לטובת אינטרסים מגזריים ודמוגרפיים, בעוד חלק גדול מהנאומים הוקדש לנושאים שאינם קשורים ישירות לחוק כגון המלחמה, החטופים וביקורת כלכלית וביטחונית על הממשלה.

Arguments for

  • There is a need to restore the representation of the Ministry of Agriculture in the planning institutions and to anchor the place of the representative of the Minister for the Negev, the Galilee and National Resilience, due to the transfer of planning authorities between the ministries and the professional importance of agricultural knowledge in planning.
    Erez Malul (Shas), Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism), Avi Dicter (Likud)
  • Adding additional representatives who are not on behalf of the government (such as representatives of civil society, the Arab population, the ultra-Orthodox population, higher education institutions, and social and welfare organizations) preserves and even improves the balance between the government, local government, and civil society in the planning institutions.
    Erez Malul (Shas), Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism)
  • Settlement in the Negev and Galilee suffers from planning distress and negative migration, and therefore government representatives are needed to advance a broad planning strategy that will strengthen settlement in these areas.
    Issac Shimon Wasserlauf (Otzma Yehudit), Orit Malka Strock (Religious Zionism)
  • The law responds to the request of heads of local authorities and regional councils suffering from a planning siege and a very slow planning pace, and its purpose is to assist them rather than to promote a narrow political interest.
    Orit Malka Strock (Religious Zionism)

Arguments against

  • Adding representatives of the Minister of Settlement and the Minister for the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience to the planning institutions is improper politicization intended to advance the sectoral and demographic interests of Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit, rather than the broad public interest.
    Matti Sarfatti Harcavi (Yesh Atid), Youssef Atauna (Hadash–Ta'al), Naama Lazimi (Labor)
  • The amendment is actually intended to change the demographic balance in the Negev and Galilee to the detriment of the Arab population, in accordance with the coalition agreements, and to deepen the existing discrimination and exclusion against it in planning and construction.
    Aida Touma Sliman (Hadash–Ta'al), Youssef Atauna (Hadash–Ta'al), Iman Khatib Yassin (Ra'am), Ahmad Tibi (Hadash–Ta'al)
  • The move is being carried out in a distorted and unprofessional manner: instead of returning the planning authority to the Ministry of Agriculture from which it was unnecessarily removed, the other ministries are being left in place and more and more representatives are being added, which clutters the committees and harms their efficiency and professionalism.
    Merav Ben Ari (Yesh Atid), Alon Schuster (National Unity)
  • Introducing additional political representatives at the expense of professional and environmental bodies will harm the ability to maintain a balance between development and preservation of the limited land resource, and will open the door to favoring settlement and the establishment of new communities considerations over the position of professional planning bodies.
  • This is a trivial and irrelevant law devoted to appointments and arranging jobs for officeholders, in the midst of a war in which the focus should be on far more urgent and important issues such as returning the hostages and the economic situation.
    Yorai Lahav Hertzanu (Yesh Atid), Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu)
Who spoke (35)
MemberFactionReadingsSpeechesIn the final vote
Erez MalulShas coalitionThird reading1for
Yorai Lahav HertzanuYesh Atid oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Naor ShiriYesh Atid oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Merav Ben AriYesh Atid oppositionThird reading1against
Yulia MalinovskyYisrael Beytenu oppositionThird reading1against
Ofer CassifHadash–Ta'al oppositionThird reading1against
Alon SchusterNational Unity coalitionThird reading1against
Evgeny SovaYisrael Beytenu oppositionThird reading1against
Mickey LevyYesh Atid oppositionThird reading1against
Aida Touma SlimanHadash–Ta'al oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Yasmin FridmanYesh Atid oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Simon DavidsonYesh Atid oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Matti Sarfatti HarcaviYesh Atid oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Idan RollYesh Atid oppositionThird reading1against
Youssef AtaunaHadash–Ta'al oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Oded ForerYisrael Beytenu oppositionThird reading1against
Sharon NirYisrael Beytenu oppositionThird reading1against
Yoav SegalovitzYesh Atid oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Gilad KarivLabor oppositionThird reading1no record
Naama LazimiLabor oppositionThird reading1against
Waleed AlhwashlaRa'am oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Vladimir BeliakYesh Atid oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Ron KatzYesh Atid oppositionThird reading1against
Shelly Tal MeronYesh Atid oppositionFirst reading, Third reading2against
Meirav CohenYesh Atid oppositionThird reading1against
Yaakov AsherUnited Torah Judaism coalitionThird reading2for
Issac Shimon WasserlaufOtzma Yehudit coalitionThird reading1for
Avi DicterLikud coalitionFirst reading1for
Matan KahanaNational Unity coalitionFirst reading1against
Yasir HujeiratRa'am oppositionFirst reading1against
Iman Khatib YassinRa'am oppositionFirst reading1against
Debbie BitonYesh Atid oppositionFirst reading1against
Ahmad TibiHadash–Ta'al oppositionFirst reading1no record
Ayman OdehHadash–Ta'al oppositionFirst reading1no record
Orit Malka StrockReligious Zionism coalitionFirst reading1for

An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. A very long debate: every speech was shortened to the same length before summarising. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2

Reservations to the second reading

26 reservations were filed: proposed changes to the text the committee brought to the second and third reading.

The reservations mainly seek to change the composition of the planning institutions referred to in the law, among other things by adding representatives on behalf of the Jewish National Fund, the Nature and Parks Authority, academic institutions in the field of ecology and environment, civil society organizations and local government, as well as increasing the representation of the Arab population in local authorities.

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Hebrew original

ההסתייגויות מבקשות בעיקר לשנות את הרכב מוסדות התכנון הנזכרים בחוק, בין היתר על ידי הוספת נציגים מטעם הקרן הקיימת לישראל, רשות הטבע והגנים, מוסדות אקדמיים בתחום אקולוגיה וסביבה, ארגוני חברה אזרחית והשלטון המקומי, וכן הגברת הייצוג של האוכלוסייה הערבית ברשויות המקומיות.

By faction

  • Yesh Atid opposition · 10 reservations · 24 members
  • New Hope coalition · 8 reservations · 2 members
  • National Unity coalition · 8 reservations · 5 members
  • Labor opposition · 7 reservations · 4 members
  • Hadash–Ta'al opposition · 2 reservations · 5 members

A joint reservation counts for every faction whose members filed it.

Who proposed what

Asked to speak: Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu), Evgeny Sova (Yisrael Beytenu), Sharon Nir (Yisrael Beytenu), Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu), Hamad Amar (Yisrael Beytenu)

Proposers and reservation numbers are extracted automatically from the committee version, and the count is checked against the numbers printed in it. The descriptions are an automatic summary. Committee version for the second and third reading (PDF)

Reservations, sections and other votes (32)

In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.

Source: bill page in the Knesset legislation database ↗