Politics14:13 · 2h ago

Benny Arviv Appointed Chairman of Israel's National Planning and Building Council

Calcalist

Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba

Key points

01Benny Arviv appointed chairman of Israel's National Planning and Building Council in June 2024.
02Arviv previously served as deputy chairman and acting chairman of key planning bodies since 2023.
03He replaces Natan Alantan, who resigned in April 2024; Rafi Almaliah acted as interim chairman.
04The council is Israel's top planning authority, overseeing regional and local committees and government decisions.
05It shapes national development, including new settlements, infrastructure, and land use designations.
06Council decisions have significant political and economic impacts, affecting land values and development balance.

In this story

People

OrganizationsNational Planning and Building Council, Ministry of Interior, Planning Administration, National Planning Headquarters

PlacesIsrael

The story · English

Benny Arviv has been appointed as the new chairman of Israel's National Planning and Building Council. The appointment was signed by Israel Ozen, Director General of the Ministry of Interior, following approval by the committee for appointment reviews chaired by retired judge Shlomit Dotan. Since 2023, Arviv served as deputy chairman of the National Planning Headquarters at the Ministry of Interior, acting chairman of the National Council, and acting chairman of the National Infrastructure Committee. Prior to these roles, he worked for about a decade in the legal department of the Planning Administration and was appointed deputy legal advisor and legislative officer in 2019.

Arviv replaces Natan Alantan, who was appointed head of the Planning Headquarters by Aryeh Deri at the end of 2022 and concurrently served as chairman of the National Council. Alantan resigned in April 2024, and since then, Rafi Almaliah, Director General of the Planning Administration, has been acting chairman. Almaliah expressed confidence that under Arviv's leadership, the council will continue to advance a professional, efficient, and high-quality planning system for Israel's development.

The National Planning and Building Council is the highest planning authority in Israel, overseeing regional and local committees and subordinate only to government decisions. It shapes Israel's development map, influencing the locations of new communities and infrastructure projects such as roads and energy facilities. The council also determines land use designations, including open spaces and agricultural zones. Due to its significant impact on development, the council is a focal point for political debates, balancing interests like development, environmental protection, transportation, and agriculture. Its decisions have major economic implications, as changes in land designation from agricultural to residential can increase property values by tens of millions of shekels or more.

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