Sell responsibly. MK Shai
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Hostile commercial elements too. MK Yachimovich
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Land sale supervision bill passes preliminary reading
Bill aimed at tightening government's control over sale of state lands to foreigners approved by Knesset. 'Need to legislate such a law stems from grave sin of land privatization,' says MK Yachimovich
The Knesset plenum on Tuesday passed in a preliminary reading a bill which aims to tighten government supervision over the sale of State-owned lands to hostile foreign elements.
Sixteen members of Knesset voted in favor of the bill, which was initiated by MK Nachman Shai (Kadima). No MKs opposed the bill, and there were no abstainers.
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"This law is designed to protect Israel's lands that are sold to foreign elements, if the mass privatization of lands occurs. It offers supervision through a ministerial committee over the sale of lands to elements Israel in not interested in selling to," said MK Shai.
According to the Knesset member, similar laws exist in dozens of countries, and they all share one common element – "lands are a national asset that should be sold responsibly, and must be subjected to meticulous examination."
"The need to legislate such a law stems from the grave sin of land privatization," added MK Shelly Yachimovich (Labor).
"This law is a rescue operation for State lands," said the MK, adding, "We are proposing a fair and proportional mechanism, which will ensure that no man – whether a foreign hostile element or a commercial hostile element – can come and have a bonanza at Israel's expense."
MK Uri Ariel (National Union) also commented on the bill, saying: "(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, (Defense Minister Ehud) Barak and (Agriculture Minister Shalom) Simhon better not privatize (this land).
"This predatory majority has caused the prices of real estate to increase by 60% during the past two years. The law does not go against foreigners, but is rather meant to strengthen the State's control over the lands. Before we speak of Sheshinski, we need to make sure we have a piece of land to set our foot on," he said.
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