40% Can’t Pay Their Tel Aviv Rent as Unemployment Grows Amid Coronavirus, Survey Shows
The coronavirus crisis has hit Israel’s labor market hard, with unemployment now hitting 20%, up from an all-time historic low of 3.4% in February
Gili Melnitcki
Tel Aviv Municipality Mulls Measures to Regulate Airbnb Use
Airbnb rentals are pushing up prices for locals and putting pressure on hotels, leading the municipality to consider capping them at 90 days a year
Sixty-five WeWork Employees Receive Notice as Layoffs Reach Israel
Cutbacks are in financially troubled office-share company’s R&D operations
Secular Israelis Flock to West Bank Settlements in Search of Good, Cheap Life
Who wouldn’t want a great house and a nice backyard for only a million shekels? This is how Karnei Shomron, Beit Arye, Ariel and Kiryat Arba became legitimate real estate attractions for young – and secular – Israeli families
Israeli Government's Disputed Residential Construction Program Extended
Mehir Lamishtaken, aimed at helping first-time home buyers, has been criticized for not reducing costs and distorting the housing market
Israel's Quake-proofing Program Now Slated to End in 2022
The National Planning Council deemed the program, Tama 38, a failure and considered ending it next year
Can This Israeli Startup Fight Alienation and Loneliness and Turn a Profit in the Process?
Venn establishes non-virtual communities for a fee, and its business model includes inflating property values in low-income neighborhoods. Is this the right way to build community?
Jewish Residents Allege Illegal Construction by Neighboring Arab Town, in Bid to Keep It at a Distance
Israel advancing a plan to add 4,000 housing units to Arara ■ Town’s mayor says illegal construction halted as precondition
Ending Earthquake Proofing Program Leaves 1 Million Israeli Homes at Risk
Tama 38 did not accomplish what it was set up in 2005 to do, but the government has not proposed an alternative
Israel Ending Program to Quake-proof Buildings Next Year
National Planning Administration says program created more problems than it solved – but critics say this will leave buildings unprotected and raise housing prices
Hard Times for Mega-luxury Home Market
Higher taxes and a crackdown on tax evasion has damped demand by foreign residents for the most high-end properties. Further downmarket, wealthy Israelis are still buying
Israeli Startups Set Their Sights on Real Estate
A WeWork Labs-Livestone collaboration is latest entrant in emerging ‘proptech’ sector
Defense Ministry Threatens to Pave Paradise, Put Up an Army College in Jerusalem's Ein Karem
Locals are used to fighting real estate developers, but this time it’s the Israeli army ■ The plan calls for a complex covering 10 acres of open land
Israel Weighing Plan to Scrap Realty Licensing
Move aims to cut regulation but many in industry oppose it
Israeli Neglect Slows Housing Construction in Arab Towns, Watchdog Says
A deputy attorney general admitted that this 'might be a mistake that we in the Justice Ministry are responsible for'
Making the Israeli Desert Bloom One More Time
This time it’s the Arava region in the southeast, where the real estate is cheap but the cellphone reception is choppy and the jobs few. Not for long, a few dreamers say
An Accidental New City Pops Up in Israel's North
Harish was supposed to be a Haredi town but was quickly reconfigured by planners into a mixed city of 120,000, and growing pains have followed
Airbnb Takes Over Tel Aviv, and the Locals Are Restless
The city has one of the world’s highest penetration rates for the short-term rental service, which in turn contributes to a housing shortage and rising rents, with officials determined to rein it in
Analysis Israel's Lucky Finance Minister Is Leaving His Successor to Be the Fall Guy
During his years in office, Moshe Kahlon spent generously on social programs and housing as tax revenues were rolling in, but that can’t go on
Israeli Finance Chief's Plan to Reduce Housing Prices Falls Short
Up to 50% of buyers of Moshe Kahlon’s reduced-price housing program for apartments end up renting instead of buying
Be’er Yaakov Is the Hottest Spot in Israel for Latest Housing Lottery
'Buyer’s Price' program meant to provide more affordable housing closes its sixth lottery, drawing 18,600 participants for projects in 19 cities
Analysis 'Economic Interests Trampled the Community Idea': Why WeWork Sold Its Flagship Space to Microsoft
Companies that rent out shared workspaces are multiplying at a dizzying pace, offering not just floorspace but also a sense of community. But what if a tempting offer comes from a huge conglomerate that wants the building?
Youth Hostel Chain Selina Inks Deal to Open Massively in Israel
Selina, founded by Israeli partners, plans to set up 5,000 to 7,000 beds here in next five years
Despite Israeli Finance Minister's Efforts, Housing Market Is Shrinking
Figures show 22% drop in new-home sales in the first half. Both housing starts, supply of unsold homes are falling
Young Professionals in Israel Look for Sense of Community in Co-living Spaces
Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are jumping on the co-living bandwagon in a bid to attract and retain millennials who would otherwise be priced out of the Israeli rental market
Spate of Earthquakes Leaves Tiberias Feeling Vulnerable
Historic city has thousands of homes without adequate protection as gov’t programs fail to address the problem
Even in Internet Age, Ads on Sides of Buildings Are Big Business
In Tel Aviv, advertisers are even willing to cover a building’s renovation costs so they can get the city’s most coveted facades
Israeli Businesses Face a Labor Crunch as Asylum Seeker Deportations Moves Ahead
Hotels, restaurants, building firms will be hard-pressed to replace them
WeWork to Bring WeLive Communal Housing to Tel Aviv After NY, D.C. Success
Modeled after the huge success of WeWork's shared work spaces, the communal living solution is now headed to Israel and is slated to be up and running by 2020
Flight Cancellations Feared in Israel as Cuts Threaten Security Budget
Shortage of Israelis working abroad temporarily in security jobs could cause problem from as early as next week and run well into the summer