“Throughout all the days of the war, you have been working. You have been issuing demolition orders in Druze and Circassian localities. Could you not have found another time? Why do it when they are serving in reserve duty? What is the urgency?” asked Yasser Ghadban, Chair of the Forum of Druze Local Authorities. His questions were addressed to Enforcement Authority officials during a discussion in the Special Committee for Strengthening and Developing the Negev and the Galilee on the demolition of homes in Druze communities.
The discussion focused on Clause 8(c) of the five-year plan for Druze and Circassian localities (Government Decision 2856). The clause conditions planning on natural population growth: “To instruct the Planning Administration to work toward completing statutory master planning. In localities included in the plan where updating and/or completing the master plan is required, projected population growth shall be taken into account according to Central Bureau of Statistics data up to the year 2065.”
“They passed a government resolution and inserted Clause 8(c): Druze communities are prohibited from developing on private land except in accordance with population growth,” Ghadban added. “Clause 8(c) is a backdoor amendment that harms each and every one of us. We need to launch a struggle. It is a threat to our very existence. We have nowhere to build.”
The head of the Yarka local council, Salman Mula, declared that he would defend residents with his own body: “A house built on private land will not be demolished, even if the head of the council stands on the roof and in front of the bulldozers. Over my dead body will it be demolished.”
A representative of the Ministry of Justice acknowledged during the discussion that Clause 8(c), which had restricted the development of master plans in localities, was inserted “through a rushed procedural manoeuvre into the government decision… no professional discussion had been held beforehand and the implications were not understood.” The representative further confirmed that an instruction had been issued by the Prime Minister’s Office not to rely on the clause any longer due to lack of evidentiary basis: “It was discussed in the steering committee and it was decided that the clause cannot be relied upon, because the Central Bureau of Statistics has no projection for the year 2065.”
Druze local authority heads questioned why the clause had not been revoked. They described the planning distress in their communities and its impact on young people. “We are at the bottom in birth rates in the country, because we have nowhere to build,” said Wahib Saif, head of the Yanuh-Jat Local Council.
The head of the Hurfeish Local Council, Anwar Amar, explained that land in the locality had been classified as ‘special agricultural’. “What was built until 2018 is fine, but since then it has not been possible to build.” He also stressed that the Planning Administration does not involve local authority heads or public representatives in planning processes.
“The state’s obligation is not to plan solely on private land”
Hila Levi Gadish of the Planning Administration said that in most Arab localities there is an abundance of private land ownership. “We are trying to examine where state land exists, and there to provide a response for public buildings and those without land. There is a need to strike a balance between them. There is a planning reserve.”
“How are you supposed to plan for families without land?” wondered MK Hamad Amar, while MK Eliyahu Revivo of Likud said: “The state’s obligation is not to plan solely on private land. A response must be given to a population that is already prepared to purchase land.”
According to Lilah Shalom of the Enforcement Authority, enforcement is carried out on new construction through administrative orders valid for 60 days. She claimed that such orders are not issued against completed homes but only against structural frameworks. Local authority heads protested, arguing that demolition orders had been issued against inhabited homes.
MK Sasson Guetta (Likud) challenged the officials: “Who are you kidding? The heads of the local authorities are saying there are completed homes with demolition orders.”
“If the builder decided to continue building and live there, it does not change the status of the administrative order,” Shalom replied.
“During the war we received 30 demolition orders,” said Nazih Dabbur, head of the Beit Jann Local Council. He added that the orders were issued to reservists currently serving in the West Bank and in Gaza: “Their daughters received the order and considered leaving national service.”
Dr. Bassam Tzab, whose son is serving in reserve duty added: “My son has been in Gaza for two months and they are issuing him a demolition order. Who am I supposed to turn to? The order hurts. I cannot understand why it was issued. The Druze are loyal to the state; now the state needs to be loyal to the Druze.”
Shalom replied: “We issue orders for violations; we do not investigate who the builder is. If there is a problem, one may contact us or the courts.”
Husam Kabha (Kbishy), head of the Julis Local Council, added that state delays turn law-abiding citizens into involuntary offenders.
At the end of the discussion, MK Hamad Amar, an Israeli Druze politician serving for Yisrael Beiteinu, called on the Planning Administration to immediately hold meetings with local authority heads, in order to examine the unique needs of each locality and adjust submitted plans, in close cooperation with the public. He further demanded, in light of the Ministry of Justice’s remarks, that the Prime Minister’s Office instruct the Planning Administration not to rely on Clause 8(c) any longer, and stated that he would personally work to have it fully removed from the five-year plan for the Druze community.