Weekly Update 49

August 15, 2025

Hello, everyone.

I am continuing my report from last week regarding the council meeting held on August 3, 2025.

This week’s newsletter focuses on real estate because it is the most important issue for me, along with the council chair and gatekeepers’ obligation to obey the law. These are two issues that, as I see time and again, are intertwined—because where the law is not followed, it leads to harm due to unchecked chaos in the real estate sector and the character of the community.

Summary:

• During the current term, it pays to be a real estate developer or contractor because the council apparently does not file formal objections to submitted plans. I have previously reported here on two notable cases that harm the character of the community—one in the center of the town and the other in the Zichrona neighborhood. A response to an inquiry I submitted (the inquiry is attached as a file to this email) indicates that this is now the approach—no formal objections are being filed against plans. With this approach, a real estate disaster is yet to come. The inquiry I submitted is attached to this email—it’s worth reading the beginning to understand that, unfortunately, nothing has changed.
• Zichron’s public representative on the Regional Planning and Construction Committee has been replaced. Itzik Elbaz has completed a short term and is continuing in the role of the council’s real estate project manager—an external position intended to accelerate construction in the town.

In his place, the plenary session in August elected Abutbul’s friend and former deputy, Mr. Yitzhak Bela. A dear man and a veteran of the community. But in my opinion (and I was the only one who voted against the appointment), he is not a public representative but rather a man of the council head. So right now, the only two representatives of Zichron on the committee are essentially Abutbul. Whereas the goal is for the public representative to be a man of the public who will not be afraid to disagree with the council head.

How many formal objections has the council submitted to the building plans deposited with the Regional Planning and Building Committee?

This sounds like a simple question, but it turns out to be a closely guarded secret that the council head is trying to hide from me, from my fellow council members, and from you, the public. Abutbul has been in office for a year and a half now. This is a significant period during which plans were submitted for review to the regional and district planning committees. I have reported to you here that the council did not file any objections to some of these plans, thereby harming us all. Remember? For example, the additions requested by Big, the assisted living developer in the Zichrona neighborhood—they didn’t object. I submitted a motion on the matter (that the council submit objections to the requested exemptions), and the council head, with his automatic majority, rejected the motion. Or the excessive additions requested and granted to the developer building in the center of the town on HaOranim/HaNassi Street—no objections were filed, as permitted by the Planning and Building Law. The council head even declared at the meeting that the council files plenty of objections.

I’ve been trying to get this simple piece of information since March. Yes, as you read, for nearly 5 months!!! I wrote a very clear email to the council’s legal advisor, Attorney Yossi Barzilai, and to the council’s engineer, Architect Ruth Barens. Of course, they did not respond even to a reminder, because the council head had forbidden them from replying to me. So I submitted a very clear inquiry, and here is the text of the inquiry:

1. How many official objections has the council submitted to the various planning and building committees since the beginning of this term in March 2024?
2. I request a detailed list of every objection submitted since the start of this term in March 2024

And look at the evasive answer the council chairman gave me at the last meeting. He didn’t answer the question at all but tried to “evade and confuse”:

“The Council submits numerous objections during meetings with the Regional Committee and the District Committee regarding dozens of plans. Whenever the plans conflict with the public interest and contradict the master plan.

As mentioned, we’re talking about dozens of plans, and fortunately, most of the objections are accepted.

Now—a reading comprehension puzzle: Did Abutbul answer my question regarding the number of official objections, or did he answer regarding objections raised during committee meetings?

Answer: Abutbul did not answer. These are two entirely different things.

Of course, I immediately responded during the meeting and said, “You didn’t answer the question.” I asked about official objections. As a lawyer, you surely know what I mean—these are not the objections presented during committee deliberations. These are different matters.

He didn’t really answer. The council’s legal advisor also sat there and remained silent the whole time. And that is a factual description. (And it is serious in and of itself that the legal advisor does not respond to such a matter and to the council head’s attempt to mislead with the answer he gave.) /

Why didn’t the council head answer? Probably because in the year and a half since he was elected, the council hasn’t filed a single objection to the plan that was submitted. Or maybe one or two. Otherwise, why hide it? I’ve been following the Regional Committee’s website for plans submitted that affect Zichron, and in my opinion, the number of objections is closer to zero. But maybe I missed one or two.

So there’s unfortunate news for us, the public, and good news if you’re real estate developers who want to build in every corner of Zichron—this is your chance. Submit a plan, and the council won’t object to it. To paraphrase the song “Children Are a Joy”—

“Build four, build five, build six stories. Real estate is development, real estate is welcomed in Zichron with joy. Because we love contractors and care less about the residents.”

Attached to this email is the file for this inquiry. Take a look at the opening of the inquiry, which shows that, unfortunately, the council head hasn’t changed and also refused to respond to inquiries from opposition members during his previous term. At that time, those members were Attorney Naama Tzur and Meir Vanunu.

Who is Zichron Yaakov’s new public representative on the Regional Planning and Construction Committee:

For communities above a certain population size that belong to the Regional Planning and Construction Committee for the Baron’s Settlements, there are two representatives on the committee (in this committee, we and Or Akiva are entitled to a public representative)—usually the community head and a public representative elected by the council plenary. It is no coincidence that the law stipulates a public representative rather than the council head—because the law sought to balance and check the head of the local authority through a public representative from the community. This is a very important system of checks and balances that we lost at the last meeting—because a representative of the council head was elected instead of a public representative.

At the beginning of the current term, the council voted for Itzik Elbaz as the public representative—he was a candidate proposed by the opposition (on behalf of Tzila Reshef before she joined the coalition and abandoned her promises to the public). The council head stated at that meeting at the beginning of the term that he would also select a representative from the opposition. Even during Ziv Deshe’s term, the public representative elected at the time of the election was a representative from the opposition. Because that is the concept of a public representative who is not the council head’s representative. A public representative represents the public.

And yet, at the plenary session in August—without announcing the name prior to the session as required by proper voting procedure—the council head brought Yitzhak Bela to a vote. A dear man and a veteran of the community, who, according to the resume we received only at the session, served for 40 years as deputy council head in Zichron Yaakov. In other words, he was Abutbul’s deputy and remains his friend to this day. It is also important to note that Bela’s wife is the director of the council’s collection department. This fact was not disclosed to us during the discussion.

In my view, the council did not elect a public representative but rather a representative of the council head. Thus, we should not be surprised to find that during committee discussions, both Zichron Yaakov representatives will present the same position. Consequently, no formal objections are being submitted at all, and any objections raised during the discussion will reflect the sole opinion of the council head.

Consider, for example, the Dorot plan that will be brought up for discussion in the committee. The council head is barred from participating in the discussion because the District Court ruled so in the matter. But at the discussion, Yitzhak Bela will be the council head’s representative. Guess whether he will support or oppose it?

I was the only one who opposed this inappropriate appointment and the improper procedure through which it was carried out.

It is important to note that the council head announced that Itzik Elbaz (former public representative on the regional committee) is moving to work as an external project manager for the council to handle and advance all the major real estate plans that Avotbol is promoting—Givat Zamarin, the eastern entrance to the town (where the Carmel Winery will be relocated). Real estate, folks, real estate. During the meeting, when asked what procedure was used to appoint Itzik Elbaz to the position, the council head evaded the question and did not give a clear answer. He said that the legal advisor and the treasurer are handling it.

On Sunday, there is not expected to be a train from the north to the center; the news explained that there is a serious malfunction with the train. So we’ve arranged transportation for you to the main demonstration in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

But we must have enough people sign up by noon tomorrow, otherwise the transportation will be canceled.

17: Departure from the bus stop across from Carrefour in the nature reserve.

22: Return from Tel Aviv

Cost: 40 NIS. Please register and pay via the following link

https://hafganot.org/bus?k=STkZvAoq