by Eliav Breuer
Bibas added that some 4,948 people needed housing assistance, and argued that those who chose to rent rather than stay in a hotel should receive three months’ rent in advance.
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Nearly 5,000 Israelis have evacuated their residences due to damage from Iranian missiles since Friday and require housing solutions, Haim Bibas, Modi’in mayor and Federation of Local Authorities in Israel head, said on Wednesday.
The comments came during an emergency Knesset Internal Affairs Committee meeting convened by its chair, MK Yakov Asher (United Torah Judaism), to examine the local authorities’ and government responses to the numerous needs of people whose homes were destroyed or damaged.
Interior Minister Director-General Ronen Peretz said the ministry’s initial response, in coordination with the Finance Ministry, was to issue NIS 500 to every citizen whose home was damaged and NIS 1,500 to that citizen’s local authority.
The decision was an “initial response” intended to assist residents until the Israel Tax Authority became involved according to existing “compensation tiers.”
“The framework isn’t perfect but allows for proper management of the event. All further accounting with the local authority will be done later,” Peretz said, adding that “local authorities have the full backing of the Interior Ministry.”
“In areas of widespread destruction, there is no chance we’ll be able to advance a zoning plan in less than five years. We have 120 dunams (12 hectares) that were damaged, involving 75 buildings, about 20 of which are slated for immediate demolition,” he said.
The mayor proposed a solution whereby the state would create a mechanism allowing homeowners to receive either a replacement apartment elsewhere or monetary compensation.
According to Brot, most of the affected homeowners were not city residents and, therefore, could choose the monetary option, which would allow the authorities to better plan the area. He added that the local authorities lack the manpower to handle recent events and need significant assistance from the central government.
Bibas expanded on Brot’s point. “Everyone understands [that] the scale of destruction is unprecedented,” he said.
“One of the immediate actions needed is to budget all local authorities under threat and on high alert. We are demanding that the Finance Ministry budget manpower expenses for local government to the amount of NIS 5.1 million for employees working full-time and beyond the overtime that municipalities can pay.”
4948 people in need of housing assistance after missile attacks
Bibas added that as of Wednesday morning, some 4,948 people needed housing assistance and argued that those who chose to rent rather than stay in a hotel should receive three months’ rent in advance.A relatively large number of MKs from the coalition and opposition attended the discussion. National Unity MK Pnina Tameno-Shete requested a fast-track process for compensation claims for reservists whose homes were damaged. She also asked to ensure that mortgages for affected residents were frozen.
Asher pledged to hold a series of additional meetings on the matter to ensure, among other things, the freezing of mortgages and assistance to reservists. The committee chair also announced that he would initiate legislation to enable “mini urban renewal” projects for damaged buildings, with reduced regulation to speed up the process.
Eliav Breuer
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-858199
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