Israeli Supreme Court Halts Israel Lands Authority's Plan to Market Central Israel Village Lands

The Israeli Supreme Court has blocked the Israel Lands Authority (ILA) from marketing 108 plots in two central Israel cooperative villages, Ganot and Mishmar Ayalon. The villages, located in the Shfela region within the Gezer and Shdot Dan Regional Councils respectively, had developed expansion plans in the 1990s to convert agricultural land for residential use, but later abandoned these in favor of building additional homes on existing village lands.

In April 2025, the ILA unexpectedly announced its intention to market 64 plots in Mishmar Ayalon and 44 in Ganot through public tenders aimed at reservists, disabled IDF veterans, and housing-poor citizens. The villages were not consulted and only learned of the plans after publication. In May 2025, the ILA demanded the villages return the disputed lands within 60 days, a demand both villages rejected.

The cooperative associations representing the villages appealed to the district court, which largely sided with the ILA but reduced the number of plots to be marketed. The associations then appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled in their favor. Justice Gila Kanfi Steinitz emphasized that before discussing land marketing, the court must first resolve the question of the ILA's right to reclaim the lands. She noted the need for a thorough examination of the villages' legal status regarding the land, which had not yet been conducted.

The court ordered a freeze on the reclamation and marketing processes until the main legal claims are fully adjudicated, preventing irreversible actions on the ground. The villages were represented by attorneys Ofer Noam, Dan Fiala, and Yonatan Hasdai from H. Noam & Co. law firm, who stated the ruling protects cooperative rights and ensures a comprehensive legal review before any land transactions proceed.