Opinion column
The "Holyland" defendants are being sued for their part in the conspiracy "to approve the grandiose real estate plan in the Holyland Ridge".
...grandiose?!
Israel Savion. Photo: live here in the field
Metzelz Mocher, Israel Savion's affidavit, in his lawsuit in civil case 975/04, in which he partially admitted to the grandiose increase, as he says, of the construction percentages in the Ramat Habib project (Ramat the President).
Below are quotes from the affidavit:
"I was the one who first brought up the possibility of increasing the amount of construction, as part of the change of the PB, to over 1000 units, when the developers were extremely skeptical about the possibility of implementing such a grandiose plan.
The activity of "Savionis" through me is intended, among other things, to "lobby" against opposition to increasing the percentages and volumes of construction on the part of the planning authorities (in particular municipalities), to cause the parties involved in the IBA to regard the change sympathetically, due to my good personal acquaintance with the officials in the authorities, which I gained in my public positions and the professionals, especially as CEO of Haifa Municipality, for several years.
My involvement helped the attitude of the planning officials and harnessed them in a sympathetic way to help approve and promote the grandiose IBA.
The extensive IBA, as the idea I initiated, would not have come to the world, and would not have been approved by the planning and construction authorities, had it not been for my involvement, and the fact that I knew how to harness the "decision makers" in the municipal system, to look positively at the project.
Among the actions I set for myself, a meeting with the project's architect, to instruct her to increase the plan to 1400 units, in order to "go down" to 1300, and meetings with Mr. Yigal Zaevi, who is responsible for promoting construction in the city.
On July 12.7.99, XNUMX, the city engineer issued a letter to the district committee, which prevented a repeat hearing of the IBA.
The letter was drafted and prepared by me, although it was signed and issued on behalf of the city engineer.
This is the "tip of the iceberg" of my activity and involvement in the project.
I don't have documentation for the hundreds of phone calls and conversations I had with "decision makers", who helped change the IBA.
If it weren't for my involvement, Ramat Habib would not have thought of increasing the number of units to the enormous extent.
This is only my idea and initiative. Had it not been for my involvement and accessibility to key people in the process of changing the IBA, the process would not have ended with the great success it did.
To understand the meaning of my involvement, I will clarify that the increase in the value of the land is underestimated by about 10 million dollars."
So far from the affidavit.
For his "handling" of inflating the construction rights, Savion will be rewarded with commissions in the amount of millions of shekels.
However, unlike the "Holyland" defendants, he did not have to spend a single shekel on a bribe.
Savion was, and still is, the secretary of the Labor Party in Haifa. At that time his party ruled
In the municipality and the local committee for planning and construction. And that you expected that its representatives would raise a hand against the plans in which the secretary of their party was involved?
Shmuel Galbhart, architect and urban planner
Chairman of the Haifa Greens in the City Council
What do you suggest, Mr. Geronimo? shall we not be there? Will we run away from the battle? Shall we leave the local committee in their hands? What do you think, we didn't file complaints with the police, the district commissioner, the conflict of interest commissioner at the Ministry of Justice, the state auditor, who didn't? The State Comptroller's latest report on the Municipality of Haifa is largely based on the material I submitted personally. It is very disappointing after all this activity, which by the way is all voluntary, to read that we are "part of the corrupt system".
Unfortunately, the media is not interested in what is happening in Haifa.
The corruption here is in everything - City Center, Grand Canyon, Book Square tower...
the state auditor's report on the conduct of the corrupt local committee -
It should be spread as much as possible among the residents of the city so that they understand who they are dealing with here.
And unfortunately Mr. Galbhart, you are part of the same committee as is Savion as well as Hadova Almog.
If you are there - you actually lend a hand to what they are doing.
File complaints with the police.