Yosef Asraf, the head of the Givat Ze'ev local council and a close associate of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, was detained for questioning on suspicion of corruption, fraud, breach of trust, threats, misuse of office and tax offenses. Police say the case began after a Channel 12 investigative report on construction violations in Givat Ze'ev, and that the probe also concerns efforts to block enforcement in an apartment complex where Asraf holds property.
The detention came two days earlier, when the national fraud unit in Lahav 433 moved the investigation from covert to open. Officers, together with other enforcement bodies including the Civil Administration, Tax Authority, Israel Electric Corporation, the civil prosecution and the Enforcement of Land Use Administration, carried out searches in homes and at the council and summoned additional senior officials for questioning. Among those questioned under caution were Nahum Glis, the council director general’s assistant, and the council’s legal adviser, attorney Yizhar Dagni.
According to the investigation, dozens of people were interviewed in the past two days, including most council members, tenants in the illegal apartments linked to Asraf, and residents who had faced enforcement action, in order to show what investigators described as selective enforcement. Police also suspect that Asraf threatened planning and building enforcement officials. A Channel 12 crew that came to his office seeking answers was attacked by people from his team.
The original report said Asraf and his brother were involved in unauthorized construction and improper use of property, including a large event hall called Kramim operating without approval next to a synagogue they established, 16 apartments illegally split into 41 units, a private access road built without approval to his home outside the municipal boundary, and an unauthorized balcony. The report also said enforcement against him had been effectively frozen since he was elected about two years ago, while ordinary residents were fined quickly. Asraf denied most of the allegations, saying the apartment splits were being approved, the road was needed for medical reasons, the home violation had been resolved, and the hall helped fund the synagogue, adding that he had left the association and therefore had no conflict of interest.
