Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has signed off on a plan allowing the marketing of land plots for private construction exclusively to IDF reservists, a move that has stirred legal and political controversy.
According to a report in The Marker, Smotrich proceeded with the decision despite objections from the Finance Ministry’s legal adviser, who recommended delaying the signing until a formal legal opinion could be issued. The adviser warned that the measure could face legal challenges in the Supreme Court and may not withstand judicial scrutiny.
The legal adviser had urged Smotrich to wait until the completion of a legal review that could bolster the state's defense of the policy in court. However, the minister chose to proceed without further delay.
Smotrich’s office defended the move, saying, “The Finance Minister initiated this decision by the Israel Land Authority council to allocate up to 100% of the plots to reservists. His signing, following a two-and-a-half-week wait after the council’s approval, is routine and expected. He allowed time for standard professional procedures, but refused to delay the tenders any further.”
In a strongly worded statement, Smotrich’s office framed the decision as a moral and national imperative: “This is a principled, moral, Zionist, and above all national decision that honors those who left everything behind and risked their lives for the defense of the people and the land. It aligns with the finance minister’s ongoing policy since the beginning of the war—to recognize, reward, and prioritize those who serve.”
The statement also dismissed constitutional concerns raised by Justice Ministry lawyers about potential harm to equality. “These claims are not only unfounded but offensive,” it said. “There is no equality between those who risk their lives and those who do not. True equality begins on the battlefield. The State of Israel is a Jewish and Zionist state, and this is the policy it will continue to advance. The finance minister is determined, with God’s help, to keep promoting this policy of prioritizing those who serve.”