Watchdog Group Threatens Legal Action Over Delayed Israeli Building Standards

The Movement for Quality of Government in Israel has sent a letter to the Standards Institution of Israel (SII) demanding an explanation for the delay in updating Israeli Standard TI 118, which pertains to concrete. The watchdog group alleges that the handling of the standard creates import barriers and could significantly increase costs for the country's metro project and overall construction.

Following a report by the Calcalist newspaper, the movement claims that the delay in adopting European standards could cost the metro project between NIS 300-500 million directly, with an additional NIS 190-330 million in indirect costs due to European carbon taxes on local cement. The core issue is TI 118, which is meant to adopt the European standard but has not been updated in over 20 years, creating a gap with Europe where 27 different types of cement are approved. Some cements not approved in Israel are classified in British standards as having better performance and durability.

The delay is projected to increase the metro project's cost by NIS 830 million, according to a report commissioned by the National Transport Infrastructure Company (NTA). The movement argues that the outdated standard affects the entire construction sector, preventing the integration of advanced and green building materials. They contend that maintaining the old standard reinforces import barriers, reduces competition, and perpetuates high costs for consumers and infrastructure projects.

The movement also points to flaws in the standard's update process. NTA submitted a request for amendment, but the SII committee decided to pass the proposal as a single unit to an expert committee instead of addressing approvable sections separately. The movement claims this expert committee has not been formed, partly due to a lack of budget, effectively freezing the process. They also highlight a funding issue, suggesting the continuation of the process was made conditional on external funding from NTA or another party.

The SII's supervisor of standardization warned that standardization processes must be conducted flawlessly according to the law. The Movement for Quality of Government is now demanding a new timeline for the update, which was previously estimated to take about a year but remains frozen as of early September 2026. The group has set a deadline of September 22 for a response, threatening legal and public action if one is not received. The SII stated that they are working on a response to the letter, which will be completed in the coming days.