This week, the Regavim Movement filed an administrative petition with the Haifa District Court, calling for a freeze on the advancement of TAMA 1077, a housing plan for the Deir Jarir neighborhood in Umm al-Fahm.
The plan, approved by the National Planning and Building Committee at the end of 2025, covers two areas in the city where over 3,000 housing units were built illegally and proposes an additional 3,460 units.
Regavim argues that the plan unfairly discriminates against law-abiding citizens. While they must navigate lengthy and costly planning procedures, construction violations are being legalized swiftly and without proper scrutiny.
In a letter accompanying the petition, Regavim criticized the use of the TAMA framework (Preferred Housing Areas Plan), which was originally intended to increase Israel’s housing supply. According to the movement, it has instead become a tool for legitimizing large-scale illegal construction. “The committee, established to address Israel’s housing crisis, has turned into a mechanism for approving mass construction violations," they said.
The movement also warned of a “reward for lawbreaking," highlighting the inequality between law-abiding citizens and those who build without permits. “There is one standard for law-abiding citizens and another for those who construct illegally," Regavim stated.
They further noted that the expedited legalization process ignores serious planning deficiencies and risks to residents’ quality of life. The petition calls for a halt to the plan’s advancement and a thorough review to determine whether such large-scale legalization of illegal construction is justified.
The petition also identifies major planning challenges arising from the area’s high density, including the designation of bike paths as traffic roads, approval of underground parking unsuitable for the terrain, insufficient infrastructure solutions, and other planning flaws.
Attorney Boaz Arazi, legal advisor to the Regavim Movement, said: “The state is seriously undermining the rule of law and its ability to implement safe, modern, and equitable planning. This plan enforces a double standard-one for law-abiding citizens and another for construction violators."