Illegal Arab building demolished in Jerusalem
Illegal Arab building demolished in JerusalemFlash 90

Director-General of the Prime Minister’s Office Eli Groner spoke with Arutz Sheva about the urgent need to increase law enforcement against illegal Arab building.

“A debate is raging right now in the Interior Committee because people don’t understand that the Order and Building Enforcement Bill is vital - especially for the Arab sector. This will create order, the likes of which has not been seen for many years.”

According to Groner, steps against illegal building such as the Bill, which imposes greater penalties on illegal building and transfers enforcement power from the courts to the Finance Ministry, will lead to change in the Arab sector: “We need to stop thinking that everything related to the Arab sector is logistical chaos, the Wild West and villages without infrastructure. We want to institute order, and instead of letting the court system delay enforcement and effectively whitewash illegal building, we want to solve the problem before it gets out of hand, and enable equal rights, equal opportunities, and proper infrastructure for Arab citizens of Israel.”

Groner said that, up until now, the issue has not been properly dealt with. “Unfortunately, the State of Israel has not acted until now, there was incompetence for many years, and it was always convenient to throw the responsibility on someone else. The government has finally decided to claim responsibility and authority for intelligent and efficient enforcement.”

Regarding cooperation from the Arab sector, Groner said: “Arab citizens really want this; regarding Arab leaders and politicians, I won’t relate to what they say, but at the end of the day, this process is very good - primarily for Arab citizens of Israel.”