In recent months, the Israel Land Authority (ILA) has been trying to change the rules regarding land distribution in the north. After years in which it was claimed that the acceptance committees of the settlements operated without transparency and even favored acquaintances, the authority decided to launch public tenders, a move that has raised opposition from some regional councils.
One of the most prominent tenders is being launched precisely in Ramat Trump, a small and relatively new settlement located about 20 minutes from Katzrin and Kiryat Shmona. The settlement was established in 2020 on the ruins of the abandoned village of Burqin, with tens of millions of NIS invested in infrastructure development. Today, around 100 families live there, and the state hopes to double the number within a few years.
Who is eligible to participate in the tender?
The tender, expected to close in the coming days, includes 45 detached plots, each about half a dunam in size. According to appraisers’ estimates, the land value is about half a million NIS - but the ILA is offering the plots for free, with the only cost being development expenses of about 156,000 NIS, plus additional levies of around 110,000 NIS and a connection to electricity for 6,000 NIS. In total, a family can acquire a plot at a price of roughly a quarter of a million NIS - about one-tenth of the cost of a plot in central Israel.
The state has not opened the lottery to the entire population but has established a priority mechanism: two plots are reserved for people with disabilities, nine for active reservists, eight for locals already living in Ramat Trump, and five for locals from other settlements in the Golan Regional Council. Those who do not meet the criteria cannot participate.
Between Controversy and Opportunity
As mentioned, the move comes amid an ongoing conflict between the ILA and regional councils in the north, which claim that the state is “bypassing” traditional acceptance committees and undermining the autonomy of the settlements. On the other hand, the ILA argues that public lands must be distributed transparently and fairly, and should not serve as a tool for granting favors.
Now, with the publication of the tender in Ramat Trump and the expected continuation of land marketing for detached plots in the Golan Regional Council, it will be interesting to see whether the move indeed increases the number of families in the area and whether it succeeds in creating a new model for settlement in the northern periphery.