While Yahadut Hatorah is struggling to get the expanded housing portfolio into its hands, Kikar Shabbos News reports receiving a document showing the chareidi party is fighting hard for the housing portfolio. According to the document submitted to the Likud party at the end of the week, Yahadut Hatorah has a series of demands regarding chareidi housing – regardless of the holding of the housing portfolio.

“Within three months, a public committee will be set up to prepare a report on the problem of the needs of the chareidi public in the area of housing and their supply,” the report quotes the letter saying.

“In the meantime,” the document states, “the Israel Lands Administration will be required to locate and allocate in coordination with the local government areas for the establishment of centers and neighborhoods for the chareidi tzibur, with an emphasis on cities and towns where chareidi educational institutions do not constitute at least 10% of all pupils in educational institutions”.

The demands add, “In order to encourage the establishment of chareidi neighborhoods, the government will pay for the local authorities in which housing solutions will be found for the chareidi public, the establishment of infrastructures, educational institutions and the public.”

“Under the umbrella agreements of the Israel Lands Administration with local authorities,” it will be ensured that at least 20% of the new apartments that will be built will be earmarked for the chareidi public for the purposes of the agreements and every apartment allocated to the chareidi tzibur will be given double the amount of government assistance, as opposed to an apartment for the general public.”

The main parts published in the report include, “the right of the religious public to live in houses and neighborhoods will be anchored in legislation where religious character can be preserved in the management of the house and the neighborhood while facilitating the possibility of satisfying the special needs and demands of the religious public.”

In the spirit of this document, Yediot Achronot revealed on Sunday morning that the chareidi sector is interested in turning the huge neighborhoods that are slated to be built near Yavneh and Kiryat Gat into chareidi neighborhoods.

The two plans that have already been on the table of the Planning and Building Committee for a long time have been talking about some 20,000 new housing units. In Yavne, this is a neighborhood located east of Highway 42, when it is cut off from the old Yavneh, and it is possible to build about 12,000 housing units there. In Kiryat Gat it is about 10,000 housing units that are located near the newly built neighborhood – Karmei Gat.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)