The Knesset votes in favor of a controversial law against illegal constructions that critics say will mostly target Arab homes built without required, but hard-to-get, permits.
The law, which has the backing of Prime Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, was passed with 43 votes for the bill and 33 against.
A Bedouin family sits in the ruins of their demolished home in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran, southern Israel, January 18, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
The bill provides punishment of up to three years in jail, increases fines and reduces the powers of courts to postpone the date of demolition orders.
Arab Israelis, who make up around 17 percent of the population, say discrimination by the Jewish state makes it impossible for them to obtain planning permission to expand their communities.
The result is that many families resort to building homes without permission, leaving them liable to demolition.
— AFP
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