Jerusalem, 29 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) — On July 8, 2025, a major conference was held at the Ramada Hotel in Nazareth on the topic of “Planning and Development Challenges in Arab Society Localities,” initiated by the Minorities Division of the Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Mevo Amakim Planning and Construction Committee. The conference provided a meeting between heads of authorities, representatives of local government and the public, engineers and planners from Arab society, with the aim of discussing the main challenges and ways to solve them.

The conference presented current data on planning and development performance in the years 2022-2024, reference to Government Decision 550, and a work plan for 2025 was also presented. In the coming year, the system faces significant challenges, including a slowdown in the construction industry due to the security situation and the shortage of manpower, rising interest rates and their impact on the mortgage market, and a 15% cut imposed on government budgets in light of the war.

The tasks set for continuation include:

Strengthening cooperation with the Israel Land Authority, with an emphasis on meeting marketing goals.
Strengthening cooperation between the Minorities Division and the districts and accelerating implementation and control.
Building and distributing an operating briefing that will assist in utilizing housing development budgets in Arab society’s localities.
Completion of a roundtable discussion on the marketing of plots and housing units and formulation of operational steps.
Monitoring the advancement of legislation on minimum development fees and transferring the collection of development fees to regional planning and building committees.

Gil Tanenbaum

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