Yehuda Eliyahu to Step Down as CEO of Israel Land Authority Next Sunday

Yehuda Eliyahu will officially end his tenure as CEO of the Israel Land Authority (ILA) on Sunday, July 19, following a framework proposed by Supreme Court justices. This decision comes after petitions were filed challenging his appointment, citing concerns over conflicts of interest due to his close ties with Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who appointed him. Last Friday, the judges' proposal was presented to all parties involved, and the state representatives responded positively within the last hour. Both the government, represented by a privately funded lawyer, and the petitioners agreed to cancel Eliyahu's appointment and the selection committee's recommendation.

The selection committee will resume its work with a revised composition, replacing two of its five members due to potential conflicts of interest. Meanwhile, an interim CEO will be appointed according to civil service regulations. The committee will interview Eliyahu and the second and third candidates, attorney Shuli Avni Shoham, head of the Corporations Authority, and Kobi Yelovitz, a real estate company owner and former CEO of several local authorities. The committee may also call additional candidates at its discretion.

The state clarified that some critical issues remain unresolved, including the identity of the interim CEO and how the upcoming elections might affect the government's ability to appoint a permanent CEO now. Eliyahu was appointed in May and has served for just under two months. Despite the legal challenges, he has already participated twice in signing "Gag Agreements" with local authorities in Judea and Samaria, marking the first such agreements with settlements in the territories. These agreements will enable billions of shekels in investment for settlement construction.

Yesterday, a celebratory event marked a Gag Agreement with the Shomron Regional Council to build 12,000 housing units with an 8 billion shekel state investment. About a month ago, a similar agreement was signed with the Karnei Shomron local council for 6,000 housing units and a 2 billion shekel government investment.