The Minister of Defense, Shaul Mofaz, will review the recommendation to close Sde Dov Airport, announced Sunday by the Knesset’s Interior and Environment Committee.
During the meeting, Knesset members were asked to decide whether to request the new Minister of Defense, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to reconsider the decision to close Sde Dov for its military activity, which is also subject to civil law. According to Knesset members, the new review is particularly due to the evolving security situation. Discussions also focused on the economic and legal implications of the decision, as well as the tourism map and the quality of life for residents of Eilat.
A member of the Tel Aviv city council stated that elections were underway, and that the Interior Committee was delaying a decision already made by the Ministry of Defense to vacate the land, claiming that its operation should be reexamined. The operation on the military ground will allow for the continuation of the civil airport, against which the mayors of Tel Aviv and Eilat have recently fought. On the other side, landowners of the large block are demanding to exercise their rights and own the land.
The choice of security as a pretext to continue operating this field also serves the activities of civil airlines and leads to numerous tourist arrivals from Tel Aviv to Eilat. There are those who threaten and dispute potential claims and losses of enormous sums to the state. I understand the interests of the residents of the large block, but the amendment is necessary and the new Minister of Defense must decide on it.”
Treasury officials threaten: If we do not release, we will be exposed to compensation claims reaching billions.
The conflict over the closure of Sde Dov has lasted for decades and stems from the state’s obligation to evacuate the lands, which mostly belong to individuals and companies, as well as a low rate of land owned by the state and the municipality of Tel Aviv.
According to previous decisions, the civil field will be evacuated subject to the evacuation of the military field used by the Israeli Air Force, and the closure date has been discussed over the past few years. The last decision was made in the Dov Hoz Airport ordinance of November 30, 2017; scheduled for July 31, 2018, then November 2019.
However, according to the amendment, the Minister of Defense will be able to reassess the decision, which will affect the closure date of the land. The chairman of the committee, Yoav Kish, stated that since the decision to evacuate the land had been modified, the security situation regarding the tension at the northern border had changed and that security considerations must therefore be reexamined.
“The violation of the agreement will affect the loss of revenue and compensations of over 5 billion NIS,” said Ariel, deputy director of real estate budgets, if the decision to close the land is not honored. Furthermore, this will have indirect repercussions on regional plans. Indeed, many construction projects and promoted projects are influenced by the assumption that the field is about to be closed, such as the planning of high-rise construction without restrictions created by the active airport. This means the loss of many new housing units. If the court deems the decision to continue operating the land as a violation, the economic consequences will be severe.”
Representatives of the Attorney General’s office clarified that they were seized of the decision to evacuate the airports and that the land belonged to private interests and that any violation of the decision would be subject to prosecution.
Dr. Michael Pettier, one of the administrators appointed by the court, stated at the end of the hearing that “the largest block managers have filed a lawsuit to annul the agreement with the state and the importance of any delay in closing the field beyond June 2019 will cost the state billions.”
