The Law of Public Housing

In the mid 90’s Hakeshet was active in support of legislating the Law of Public Housing. The law refers to dwellers in public housing, most of whom belong to lower socio-economic strata of Israeli society and reside in public housing for many years on a rental basis. At present there are about 130,000 households, comprising about a million and a half people, in public housing. A considerable part of them have immigrated from North Africa and Asia in the 50’s and 70’s, and have been put up by the Government in public apartment, mostly in “frontier Settlements".

The Law of Public Housing (Purchasing Rights) - 1998 was approved by the Knesset (Parliament) in October 1998. The Law introduced a significant change in public housing related civil rights and enabled the tenants in public housing to become the owners of the apartments they lived in, while practically recognizing the many years of residence in the apartments

as a rightful claim to a home of their own.

The proposed Public Housing bill was submitted by Knesset members: Ran Cohen, Shevach Weiss, Anat Ma’or, Maxim Levi, and Roman Brofman. The public and social struggle in favor of the bill was led by the Hakeshet Hademokratit Hamizrahit, which succeeded in making it a topic the public agenda, create a parliamentary lobby and pass the law.