Navigating Israel's Byzantine Planning Laws and Regulations

Following a building collapse in May 2001, a state commission of inquiry was created to investigate and compile the factors leading up to the disaster. The final report that was tabled last week, portrayed a building and planning profession burdened with an overly complex body of laws and regulations and rife with internal contradictions. The legal situation is so complex that it is impossible to closely supervise implementation of regulations or instructions, and many developments simply find ways to "bypass" the law. A special government unit has been created to simplify and coordinate the planning law, but many of the ministries involved in planning have not been cooperating with the new unit.