Housing Ministry: More Building in 2017 Than a Year Earlier

Since the beginning of 2017, the government has authorized construction of over 20,000 new homes at various stages of planning, the Housing Ministry said. This year’s numbers were a significant increase over the 2016 numbers, when 13,000 homes were authorized for construction, officials said.

The housing authorizations are part of a community plan that is implemented in areas where new construction is set to take place. The authorizations are an early stage of the planning process, followed by approval by various planning committees, after which actual construction can start. Current Housing Minister Yoav Galant has emphasized approving construction in peripheral areas, with many of the new homes in areas like Tiberias, Maalot and Beit She’an in northern Israel, as well as in Dimona, Be’er Sheva and Sderot in the south. Galant has also pushed construction in Arab and chareidi areas, including Abu Ghosh, Kfar Kassem and Rechasim.

Commenting on the report, Galant said that “responsible, quality, and rapid planning are essential to construction in Israel, and they come even before the start of construction. The Housing Ministry has set a record this year in the number of units authorized for construction. This is an important development for the Israeli housing market. We will continue to lead building in Israel, stressing the growth of peripheral areas in the north and south.”