Maslawi Construction Ltd. on Tuesday unveiled a national plan to move Israelis whose apartments were wrecked in last month’s Iran–Israel missile war into brand-new units the company already has standing, starting in Bat Yam, at no cost to the residents.
Under the proposal, dubbed an “apartment swap” model, eligible families would receive keys to unused flats in Maslawi projects that are already finished or will be ready for occupancy within 12 months of signing an agreement.
Until the handover, the state would pay their rent in full. Any gap between the value of a resident’s former home and the new unit would be covered by building rights that the municipality transfers to the developer for the future urban-renewal project on the bombed site.
In a letter dated 1 July and sent to Bat Yam Mayor Zvika Brot, company chairman and owner Sami Maslawi called the scheme “a national mission” and urged the city to convene an urgent meeting to adopt it. “Hundreds of ready-to-occupy apartments exist across Israel today, and they must serve those who have lost their homes,” he wrote.
How the model would work
Immediate rehousing: Residents whose buildings were destroyed would be rehoused in new Maslawi apartments in Bat Yam within a year.
State-funded interim rent: The government would shoulder 100 percent of rent payments until residents move.
Developer financing: Maslawi and any partner developers would bear all planning, licensing, engineering and construction costs; residents would pay nothing.
Fast-track permits: The state would commit to issuing new building permits for the ruined plots within 12 months.
Maslawi argued that the approach would slash government spending on temporary housing, accelerate neighborhood rehabilitation, and give developers planning certainty. Bat Yam, a coastal city south of Tel Aviv, has one of the highest ratios of unprotected, pre-1970s apartment blocks in the country and has long promoted large-scale urban-renewal projects.
Founded in 1977, Maslawi Construction was the first company to complete a nationwide “pinui-binui” (demolish-and-rebuild) project in Kiryat Ono and is currently active at more than 25 sites, including Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Herzliya. The developer, listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, holds the highest contractor classification (G-5).
Neither the Bat Yam Municipality nor the Construction and Housing Ministry had responded to the proposal by press time. If adopted, Maslawi said it would “immediately mobilize its resources” to begin swapping residents into safe homes and start designing new, fortified towers on the damaged lots.