Land and housing issues form a central pillar in the lives of Arab citizens, and are regularly at the top of the agenda of the Arab leaders, the community members, and the activists for the protection of the lands and their preservation so that they are a central component in providing housing solutions. These issues involve national, value, symbolic and economic aspects. In this short article we will not deal with the national dimension of the land and housing issues among the Palestinian Arab citizens (hereafter the Arab citizens), but will focus on the functional and economic dimensions, knowing that there is a close connection between the national and symbolic dimensions and the civil and functional-economic dimensions, especially in view of the continuing struggle between the state institutions and the Arab citizens Regarding the ownership of the lands, their planning and the granting of housing solutions.
Available lands are a basic condition for creating housing solutions and developing the urban and rural space. The lands can be acquired through their purchase, or through allocations on behalf of the state, the local authority and the community institutions that manage the lands.
In order for the owner of the land or its holder to be able to use it for construction purposes for residential purposes or for a project that includes commerce and services, it is necessary that the land be designated for these purposes according to the Israeli Planning and Construction Law. Building and development licenses are issued based on legally approved outline plans. One of the conditions for obtaining a development license for the land is proof of ownership of it in the taboo records. The relevant state institutions are the body that grants a building license and issues taboo certificates or ownership or maintenance of the land.
In addition, the planning institutions decide to which jurisdiction and which local authority the land belongs to. Factors such as a building license, a taboo certificate, the division of the land between owners and between local authorities, play an important role in determining both the development options of the land and its price. Most of these factors are directly affected by government policy regarding the increase in supply, to meet the community’s demand for land and to provide adequate housing solutions for the community members.
The housing solutions are related to the existence of the land resource. Housing projects are, among other things, an important economic engine that pushes the settlement’s economy forward. The construction requirements of the house involve many actions: buying the land, building the house, hiring workers and professionals, and involvement of merchants and supply factories. As mentioned, this article will deal with the economic and functional aspects of the issue of land and housing among the Arab citizens, through a brief presentation of the methods and ways of land allocation, its management, its use, the operations of selling, buying and trading, and the intensity of its use. Finally, we will present proposals for policies that can to contribute to the economic activity related to land and housing in Arab communities. These proposals take into account the value and behavioral changes in Arab society. The article adopts the descriptive and comparative methodology, and relies on previous studies conducted by the author of the article, who uses the methodology of the researcher involved, being an active “city planner” which operates in the field as part of the effort to meet the needs of Arab society.
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