The Israeli Knesset passed a resolution Sunday to fund a new national authority for planning and construction in Arab-majority areas. This new governing body will supervise Arab local councils and require that they carry out demolitions of illegal buildings in order to receive any of the funding from the five-year plan for the Arab community in Israel.

“Right wing extremists and settler organizations are driving the government’s decision to waste public money on the demolition of Arab houses, on the courts and on housing inspectors instead of investing in planning and building in Arab towns and neighborhoods,” said Jafar Farah, Director of the Mossawa Center. “They are seeking to escalate tensions between the Arab community and state authorities.”

The law gives this new planning authority an annual budget of 22 million shekels as well as an immediate subsidy of 5 million shekels for 2016. The government will use this to hire a 35-member body of inspectors and prosecutors to accelerate demolitions and enforce controls on construction.

Under the new law, state construction and planning supervisors will have the right to use “reasonable force” to complete a demolition order and to confiscate any machinery linked to illegal building. At the same time, the new law also sharply reduces the power of Israeli courts to delay demolitions and increases fines for illegal building.

Says Mr. Farah, “The Israel Land Authority and the Ministry of Construction and Housing must start investing effectively in housing solutions for young couples and families instead of wasting the money on home demolitions that will only push housing prices higher.”

Mazen Ganaim, chairman of the National Council of Arab Municipalities, has already stated that many Arab towns will not cooperate with the demolitions. Residents in Arab localities have been forced to build illegally due to decades of institutional discrimination.

The Israeli government requires all localities to build according to a master plan but rejects those submitted by Arab localities and refuses to develop any alternative plans. While the Arab population in Israel has grown sevenfold since 1948, land allocations remained almost unchanged until 2000. Since then, less than half of Arab localities have been granted expansions and few of these have been implemented. As many as 30% of Arab towns and villages have no state land on which to build schools, community centers or any municipal buildings.

Meanwhile, the five-year funding plan for the Arab community in Israel, Resolution 922, passed six months ago, has yet to be implemented. Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has blamed this delay on the need for a mechanism to enforce planning and construction laws.

The new law also requires the Ministry of Justice to submit further legislation within 30 days to help accelerate demolitions and enforce planning and building laws. The resolution was strongly opposed by the Joint List in the Knesset.