Housing Lottery to Favor Reservists, New Draw Slated for Early 2027

Israel's Ministry of Construction and Housing has reopened its "Apartment at a Discount" (דירה בהנחה) lottery website after a temporary closure for system updates. The site was taken offline to manually process applicant data and implement changes, including a new policy prioritizing individuals who have not served in the IDF for the upcoming draws. This policy shift aims to increase the chances for reservists, who will now constitute 75% of lottery winners, up from a previous 50% allocation. Before the recent conflict, reservists had nearly equal chances to the general population.

The ministry is planning a major lottery draw for early 2027, though its activation is contingent on the formation of a new government following the upcoming elections on October 27. The draw was initially scheduled for the end of the current year, but uncertainty surrounding the next government's priorities and leadership has led to this postponement.

Several cities are slated to participate in the upcoming draws, including prominent locations like Rishon LeZion, Ariel, and Nazareth, alongside others such as Umm al-Fahm, Afula, and Tur'an. Numerous other locations will feature in tenders for land, collectively offering thousands of new apartments. Significant draws are also expected in peripheral cities like Beit Shemesh and Sderot, with hundreds of new apartments in each. Kiryat Shmona, Mitzpe Ramon, Safed, Sakhnin, Karmiel, Nahariya, and the new Yoni Netanyahu neighborhood in Dimona are also included in the plans.

The most recent lottery, the 11th, concluded in July, offering 7,922 apartments to over 114,000 applicants, resulting in a win rate of just under 7%. Popular locations in that draw included Rishon LeZion, Kfar Saba, Kadima Tzoron, Bnei Ayish, Beit Dagan, and Mazkeret Batya.