With the Knesset debating what is known as the “Electricity Law,” Arutz Sheva spoke to Meir Deutsch, CEO of Regavim, who attended the committee hearing on the issue.

“As of today, the law in Israel says that illegal structures cannot be connected to the main electricity line of the electricity infrastructure,” Deutsch says. “The original law, which is a bad law, says that illegal structures built until 2018 will now be able to be connected to the electricity infrastructure.”

He attended the committee hearing discussing the legislation, and explains that the chair of the committee brought in a different piece of legislation that was “a bit similar to the original one” but has amendments in it that “make things even worse.”

“It makes it possible to connect structures that were built even after 2018,” Deutsch says. “It makes it possible to connect illegal structures that the courts gave demolition orders to [take down].”

Israel now is “not only not enforcing the demolition but is making it possible to connect illegal structures to the electricity line, which makes this whole scenario much worse than the original law.”

Deutsch says that the have heard that Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked is against these changes but “we have to see whether or not she actually follows through and makes sure that the original law is only being proposed and not the one that was brought today to the committee.”

When asked if the “Electricity Law” will apply to Jewish non-official settlements, Deutsch says that as it stands it will not.

“As of today, this law will not be implemented in Judea and Samaria for no good reason. There is no reason illegal structures built by Arabs will be connected to the electricity while Jewish structures built illegally will not be able to connect to electricity.”

Deutsch adds: “I hope that will be changed in the final legislation that will be brought to the committee.”