Slippery Slope

The State Comptroller’s Report on Local Councils found that the Interior Ministry-appointed council which has been running the municipality of Lod for the past 12 years has been ineffective at all levels of municipal activity and the city’s condition continues to deteriorate. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

The parents of pupils at the “Noam HaMeiri” girls’ national-religious school in Lod threatened to shut down the school due to neglect and safety deficiencies in the school building.

(Hebrew – Ynet)

A report by the Central Statistics Bureau, which examined life expectancy in Israel between 2005 and 2009, shows that there is an 8.5 year gap in life expectancy between those living in Ra’anana, which has the country’s highest life expectancy, and residents of Rahat, with the lowest.  The four towns with the lowest life expectancy are either Arabic or with a mixed population – Rahat, Nazareth, Lod and Ramle. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

Over the last decade, in which the city of Lod is governed by an appointed committee led by Lieutenant General (Res.) Ilan Harari and his successor Meir Nitzan, over 250m NIS were channeled to the city, along with special funds for development projects. Despite that, 71m NIS were left in the treasury, while workers and various associations did not receive payment for their work.

(Hebrew)

HIAS, the international organization of Jewish immigration, had stopped cooperating with the asylum seekers registration unit of the Population and Immigration Authority at the Ministry of Interior branch in Lod, due to the arrest of dozens of asylum seekers whose applications were refused by the Population and Immigration Authority.

(Hebrew )

Shimon Lankri, the Mayor of Acre since 2003, participated yesterday in the “Ramla Conference – between Israel and the Nations”, organized by the Ramla Torah group and the Komemiut movement, which operates in part under the guidance of Rabbi Dov Lior, the rabbi of Kiryat Arba, who endorsed the book “The King’s Torah.” During the conference, there was a discussion panel of mayors of “mixed cities”, including Acre, Lod and Ramla, which dealt with the question: Do we need a “Jewish majority” in Israel’s cities?

(hebrew)

120 surveillance cameras will be placed at 27 different points in the city of Lod.

(Hebrew)

Israel Land Administration (ILA) and Border Patrol forces demolished a significant part of the Neighborhood 68, on Helen Keller street, Lod. More than 80 people, including 51 children, were made homeless. No alternative accommodation was provided, despite the heavy rains. The demolition orders were issued at 2 a.m. by court order, pursuant to the claim that the homes were constructed illegally on ILA lands. Seven households were destroyed, sewage infrastructure was torn out of the ground, and water and electricity connections disconnected. (Hebrew)