Strategic Assessment

Residential planning and construction is one of the main strategic issues affecting the relations of the State of Israel with its Arab citizens, as well as relations between Arab and Jewish citizens. The common belief in the Arab sector is that the state uses spatial planning as a tool for restricting, controlling, and supervising spatial development in the Arab localities. A restrictive planning regulation has led to a shortage of available land to meet the growing demand for housing with buildings usually found in the Arab neighborhoods. This ultimately results in building without permits, and contributes to violations of the law, leading to tension between the state and its Arab citizens. The prevailing planning approach has thus spawned distrust and anxiety among the Arab population, and this in turn has strengthened the nationalistic rhetoric relative to the civil discourse. News of demolitions or concern about the demolition of homes in the Arab localities is turning a civil, regulatory, or law enforcement issue into a national issue, which aggravates the already fragile relations between the state and its Arab citizens. Relations between neighboring Jewish and Arab localities or between Jewish and Arab neighborhoods, or Jewish neighborhoods where the Arab population is growing, are sliding toward hostility. This article will examine aspects of the existing planning and supervision concept and the increase in construction without permits and building demolitions, which are liable to disrupt public order, lead to verbal and physical violence, and affect Israel’s stability.