The district court in Haifa dismissed the offensive petitions against the general building plan for the Charish housing construction development, thus allowing the project for a chareidi city to forge ahead and help solve the pressing need for additional housing for the chareidi public. The next day, the National Planning Commission rejected all the objections to the plan, removing all obstacles to moving ahead.
The petitions protested the approval and certification of the general planning design of the new city of Charish. The grounds for protest were ridiculous, including lack of the committee members' participation in the various meetings.
On Tuesday, Judge Yael Wilner dismissed these petitions, aimed at stalling the establishment of a chareidi city, on the grounds that the plans do, in fact, provide a reasonable solution for the needs of the petitioners and that a proper balance will be arrived at to satisfy the legitimate interests of the different groups. The judge determined that on the one hand, the public interest in finding a solution to the pressing need for housing for the chareidi public and the utilization of the infrastructures existing in the settlement will be met, while the interests of the existing populace will also be honored to preserve its particular lifestyle.
The provoking petitions were presented by the dangerous Hari Krishna yoga cult and the Green Charish organization, which claimed discrimination and violation of equal rights. But the judge ruled that after a small amendment was made in the detailed overall planning design, a proper balance had been achieved between the public interest of easing the chareidi housing crisis, as well as meeting the needs of the existing population. She added that the declaration of the Housing Ministry's representative during the course of the court hearing to open the marketing of Charish apartments to the general public also changed the situation.
