Adalah Demands Cancellation of Israel Land Administration Decision Granting Discounts on Land to Reserve Soldiers as it Discriminates Against Arab Citizens
On 27 May 2009, Adalah sent a letter to the Israel Land Administration (ILA), the Attorney General and the Finance Minister demanding that they act immediately to repeal an ILA decision, which grants reserve soldiers a discount on the price of land intended for building by reducing the customary payment rate by 15% or up to a maximum of NIS 50,000. The decision came into effect in mid-April 2009. The ILA decision was made in accordance with the governmental "National Priority Areas" (NPA) plan.
In her letter, Adalah Attorney Suhad Bishara argued that the decision indicates that the ILA continues to rely on a void governmental decision, the "NPA" plan. In 2006, the Israeli Supreme Court, in response to Adalah's petition, ruled that this decision and the allocations that it entitled were to be nullified as they discriminated against Arab citizens of Israel. (See H.C. 2773/98 and H.C. 11163/03, The High Follow-up Committee for the Arab Citizens in Israel, et. al. v. the Prime Minister of Israel) Attorney Bishara also pointed out that the Attorney General had stated to the Supreme Court, following the above-mentioned judgment that the state and its institutions had ceased to use the criterion of "areas of national preference" to award priorities and benefits.
Adalah stressed that the ILA decision affords discounts only to Jewish citizens and excludes Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel who are exempt from and do not perform military service. "Consequently, this decision violates the principle of equality, as the Arabs do not get this discount, and are discriminated against in housing and land distribution, which is one of the public resources."
