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No summer holiday for Regavim...

Dear Friends and Partners,

The toxic cloud of noxious smoke that enveloped the Binyamin region paid Regavim’s offices a visit, too: An illegal garbage dump burned for days – and the Ministries of Health and Environment instructed all businesses in the area to shut down.
Nonetheless, and despite late summer’s heat and staffing challenges, we managed to take an active role in the Knesset’s summer session, to submit new legal petitions, to host field tours and to continue our activities throughout the Land of Israel – on the ground, in the media, and in our unique areas of research.

We hope that the fire’s noxious fumes will be soon be swept away by the breezes of autumn carrying the tantalizing scent of the upcoming High Holidays, and we invite you, once again, to support our efforts to protect the Land of Israel, by clicking the image below to donate to our Kapparot Campaign.

With blessings for an healthy and energizing end of summer,

Regavim

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The Party’s Over – # 1

Regavim’s newest petition takes on an illegal events venue
We filed a new petition against an illegal events venue in Gush Etzion, a multi-story, multi-structure compound that hosts weddings and other parties every night of the week – virtually in arm’s reach of one of the busiest roads in the greater Jerusalem area, the Jerusalem Tunnels Road.

This is one more piece in the puzzle, one more tactic in the de facto, unilateral establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel. Read more here >>>

The Party’s Over – # 2

The battle against polygamy: Lift-off

Regavim has been forcing the problem of polygamy onto the public agenda for years. Finally, this past month the Ministerial Committee for Bedouin Affairs announced a groundbreaking policy resolution: The State of Israel will no longer continue the insane policy that has actually encouraged Israeli Bedouin men to take multiple wives. Effective immediately, the State will grant one free plot of land per Bedouin household – and not one plot per wife.

Sample press coverage of the decision here >>> or read more about Regavim’s ongoing battle against the illegal practice of polygamy that is devastating Israeli Bedouin society, undermining Israeli governance in the Negev, and costing the Israeli taxpayer billions here >>>

The government talks governance

Regavim took an active role in a recent Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hearing on the Palestinian Authority’s takeover of Judea and Samaria’s open spaces. The hearing, initiated by Likud MK Avichai Buaron, was a first-of-its- kind discussion of strategic construction projects carried out by the Palestinian Authority in Areas A and B.

The government was represented by two of Regavim’s three co-founders, Minister Betzalel Smotrich and Yehuda Eliyahu – but this unique constellation hasn’t changed Regavim’s methods or expectations: We continue to demand real answers and concrete, decisive government action to protect Israel’s national interest and land resources.

Warning: Road Block Ahead!

Congratulations! This past month, the government approved the establishment of 5 new communities in the Negev’s Arad Valley.
But wait…who’s trying to prevent Jewish and Bedouin communities from being built, and how? Our field coordinator documented illegal projects that were designed to block development and undermine crucial development initiatives that would benefit all citizens of Israel (see his field video – in Hebrew – here).

Enforcement authorities and infrastructure authorities have been evading responsibility, tossing this “hot potato” from one to the other, and despite Regavim’s continuing efforts to force someone – anyone – to show some semblance of governance, nothing has been done to reassert the State’s right to use and develop its land resources. Watch this space for updates…

Toxic cloud over Binyamin

This may be one of the most serious environmental hazards to have blighted the landscape of the Land of Israel in recent history.

We’ve been petitioning the court for years, bringing reporters, MKs and ministers out to see it for themselves, and joining forces with the Binyamin Regional Council to move those responsible to take action - but unfortunately we weren’t able to prevent last week’s massive pollution catastrophe. Tens of thousands of tons of unsorted garbage, illegally dumped by the Ramallah Municipality in an abandoned quarry adjacent to Psagot (in the Binyamin region of Area C), were set ablaze. After the burning trash spewed clouds of toxic black smoke for days, the Ministry of Health issued instructions to evacuate the area – harming businesses, inconveniencing residents, disrupting municipal operations and more. Regavim’s offices were among those evacuated; although we continued our work in the Knesset, the courts and the field, our offices were shut down.

This most recent catastrophe is only the latest evidence of widespread, ongoing negligence on the part of the Civil Administration for which every resident of the area – from Ramallah and Binyamin to Jerusalem - is paying the price. See real-time footage here >>> or see earlier reports on this massive garbage dump here and here >>>

The Laqiya-Hura-Nevatim Connection

We recently hosted MK Zvika Fogel, Chairman of the Knesset National Security Committee, and members of his staff for a tour of the Negev. CEO Meir Deutsch and other members of Regavim’s professional team focused on governance – particularly on aspects of “the Negev Challenge” that impact national security.

Learn more about the situation in the Negev in our most recent report >>>

The Palestinian Authority is hard at work – while the Israeli government’s asleep on the job

Residents of Efrat noticed teams of surveyors at work in the valley just beyond their own front yards, and sent us documentation (see footage here >>>).

Regavim’s research department confirmed it: The survey and registration is being carried out by the Palestinian Authority. The policy void that Israel has allowed to persist for decades is being filled by the Palestinian Ministry of Justice and the PA’s Land Authority, which is using foreign funding to create a land registry covering all of Area C.

Israelis send a message loud and clear: Refusal to serve- NO. Violence – NO; bullying – NO. Responsible judicial reform – YES!

Just before the Knesset adjourned for summer recess, we partnered in the Kaplan Street mass demonstration in Tel Aviv's, where tens of thousands turned out to express support for judicial reform. The protesters condemned anti-government violence and sent a clear message rejecting refusal to report for reserve duty. More >>>

Regavim

Protecting Israel's Resources
Preserving Israeli Sovereignty

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