Israel Matzav

The solution to the housing crisis

We all know that there's an easy solution to the housing crisis: Building in Judea and Samaria.

The Knesset Land of Israel Caucus called for the government to adopt construction in the West Bank as a solution to the housing crisis on Tuesday, the second day of a three-day marathon Knesset discussion on the National Housing Committees Bill.

Caucus and coalition chairman Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) explained at a caucus meeting that 42 ministers, deputy ministers and MKs from the opposition and coalition signed a letter imploring Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to favor settlement construction.

"We hope to get more signatures and pass 61," he added. "I am sure our call will be a major part of the discussion on housing, and Judea and Samaria will be a solution to the problem, as it was during the previous housing crisis, in the early 90s."

...

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin told the caucus that, because of his position, he cannot sign the letter, but expressed support for the initiative.

"Zionism from its outset was a settlement movement," Rivlin explained. "If we stop going on this path, how can we justify the faith that all of Zion belongs to us?"

"We must eradicate the anti-Semitic claim that settlements are the reason for the housing crisis from our lexicon," MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) said, calling for Israel to apply Israeli law to the West Bank.

"We are at the end of a year of major events – a total construction freeze, then partial construction, and no major government projects in Judea and Samaria," MK Arye Eldad (National Union) explained. "Towns in Judea and Samaria can and must be part of the solution to the housing crisis throughout the country."

Eldad demanded that Netanyahu add an article to the National Housing Committees Bill that would allow for accelerated construction in the West Bank, as well.

"Tens of thousands of Israelis can live in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem," he added.

Read the whole thing. It will make you wonder how serious this 'housing crisis' really is (although I can tell you that among certain communities in Israel it is actually quite serious). But of course, building in Judea and Samaria and building for Orthodox Jews (of both the modern and Haredi stripes) is not exactly on the protesters' agenda.

What could go wrong?

Labels: housing crisis, Israeli economy, Israeli taxes, Judea and Samaria construction

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:56 AM