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Jjfc^ Frontlines
Jk Mk

if

billionaire's

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for blueprint social justice

GENERATING

WEALTH:

Biran Shraga

would

liketo

see

residentsof tenements

that could sell, get extra zoningrights they freeing land for urban regeneration. up

Post (Marc IsraelSellem/The Jerusalem

for social billionaires justic blueprint

Biran, Israel's wealthiestattorney, neo-liberalism Sharga says has gone too far, that socialdemocracy thing fthe past, is o and that the governmentneeds to getcreative viththe
and in other countries, would
in the end lead to civil unrest.
create

In

order

." 'socialjustice to address

that
one

focus such

Biran's for -57 000,005 Specifically, proposals cost of NIS on in desirand meter apartmenteven housing, on the
state

In

an

interview

with

writer at the

of beginning

swept the country this past

month,

year,just few months

this the before

problem,
first has
social

Biran
to

said,

of privatization
as

assets

able

areas.

define

what

is justice

however

one

of

the outbreak of the current

Biran said: "Does protests,

Israel's richest men did contact The JerusalemPast this week asking to spell out his
for blueprint social

in justice
cross-

Israel. While
not

anyone think we can really with situation go on where 68 percentof wealth to belongs the top decile?...
won't remain silent. People will not accept this situPeople ation over sustained period." he At ,97 Biran still with mum speaks

SOCIAL
By

AFFAIRS

/L4JV EVYATAR IAN

and Israel,iran continued, isin B band-length natuto ral resources throughpublicly uniqueposition address the held companies that housingissue because of the state control of the ownwould hand out shares to tight the public. ershipof land by the Israel On the housingfront, Lands Administration, sys-

II

Biran said he would

grant

tern

he

described

as

"feudal

residents of Israel'senet
ments

having

The ownership." ILA, he said,is %005 building in unique authority democraticcountry. He complained that the ILA

finance and the real economy, thus not being classified the tycoons, among
in holdings

Social

as justice, see it," said, "is to givethe maxi-

that theycould sell,in rights effectgranting them sums that

as worth as much 000,051$ per household. This would, he said,enable contra c-

possible not

the min-

could

be

is run

by bureaucrats,
itas

that the

Biran Shraga
worth
some

is believed to be several hundred-

passionand energy
the most
ers on

to match

imal needed."

fervent of the

protest-

million dollars. amassed

estate

h lawyer,e his fortune in real

Rothschild Boulevard.

"It is

great thingthat this

Biran translates that into what he calls"social privatiza-tors to tion." He explained this as the modern
distributionof
as

and also has holdings in retail and energy. The issue of socialdiscontent
is not
new
on

social, economical agenda has come to the forefront,

Biran said
as we

yet undistrib-

of

and buy up rights build who need it,and that it is not highrisesas means urban regeneration free- responsive changing to needs. by need the

vehicle for generating and profits not for forproviding housing those

government uses

uted assets. It is, he said,

sat in his law

non-revolutionaryrevolution/'one
that creates wealth do not posses it, while leaving intact the wealth of those who do for those who

ing up land for hundreds of thousands of housing units.

Furthermore, would
Biran

But while he agrees with the to break up and reform

ILA,
Biran
current

to Biran. He

prides

himself many

having

warned

times in the

pastthat the

offices in Tel Aviv's Museum Tower overlooking panorama of the city. "The problem
is,

said, he

also warned

also build affordable for housing the middle classes.

the against

bill housing Page 15

glaring gaps

in wealth in Israel

though: How

does

one

He said this can

be done

at

See BLUEPRINT,

covered

by
be

that would

loan standing repaidonly

sum

beingpushedby Prime Minislong- have ter new There can term mortgage. Binyamin Netanyahu. pletely agenda; the costs for an apart- be no return to the past. The Building Flooding market with land will not bring down sufment of 75 meters would be socialdemocratic model of the prices to solve the problems NIS while land costs ,000,003 '60s and 70s is not relevant to ficiently
of lower

upon sale of the while the additional would be covered by

Both ideologies have gone and bankrupt capitalist he apartment, socialist," said."Both dereg-

course,

without

doubt

but

there is nothing creative about

new. that, nothing an creating

The issue of

ulation

nationalization comfailed.We need

and

economic

social

foundation throughthe ereation of assets is creative,but

sive taxes is

and middle-income but will bringthem families, down enough to generate crihe said. ;Sis,

per unit would sum 000,002

be

some

NIS

the modern 21st

economics

of the

by changing prioritiesprogresdecision political obvithat is banal, although ously very important."

"This is an concluded,

that he notes

century."

he opportunity,"
"not of
once

when is in fact quite expensive

compared with other western

how
countries.
to According

|,.i but create things, |te to well how ^%ery

said Jthings/' Biran.

The state doesn't know

Despitehaving started out his ideological on the left life from kibeven beingexpelled
w butz for his affiliationith the

in in

but of once hundred years, thousand years. Almost

entire

the

it knows

his calculations,

public supportschange

|&o5e

at destroy repaymentswould begin less Communist Party Biran does- and that support needs to be We to than NIS 000,1 month, rising n't look back nostalgically translated into reality. must the tenant's repayment not look back in romanticism, as the days of Mapai,when the kind of forward to some increase. All of this, state controlled %07 of the nor who don't have access to capabilities but you Utopiandream. We must seize *ownership, also have he said,can be done within the economy. framework of existing today protect the value of the legisla- "There was no Garden of this opportunity, ." >^b

"You have for create affordable housing

tion. Where
come

would

the land

for

these affordable housing units

are

middle *Established would

"The

class and

from? Biran said there hundreds of thousands of dunams of brown fields,f diso used and old buildings, that
create
one

here," he said emphatiwas that 'paradise' the that discriminated against Mizrahim and threw them into "It cally.

Eden

development
became

towns

that

the third world of this

country."
Biran said that this romanticism is
as "just dangerousas

be

unforgivable.

wealth concentrated in

reservoir for as many million housing units.

as

$TS1$"$TS1$

in he housing Israel/' contin"is con y|ed, one of the biggest

centrations

Biran said,is essenHousing, tial to

asset

the
warns

neo-liberal side," and

that there
to trying
are

the addressing

issue of

organiza-

of wealth

in the

poverty.He

notes

that

tions

take control of

$DN2$"$DN2$

country. It

is also the most

democratic, because, after all, still stands [home]ownership

so ,%66 if you break that of wealth you will be breaking the necks of

at

concentration

the

general public."

Biran said that Israelneeds national authority affordfor

eration

of 000,061 families have been this wonderful movement unable to purchase an the middle classes and take it apartment in the lastdecade, adding in very extreme social-demothat ownership rates have craticdirection." So, how does Biran plan to droppeddramatically. "Giving the to people opportunity buy finance these changes? he affordable housing creates "The onlyway to do this," said Biran. "It allows "is via socialprivatization. said, equity," to That is social justice. The people take first step."
to provide whole issue of creating new new housing and agenda of creating priornot believesthat the state needs to -is political It's issue. ities as that we have some kind of provide "much free educawith affirmation as possible patentthat doesn't exist any-

able housing and urban regenthat would define social and affordable housing
needs, the regulate market and

While Biran wants

affordable

create financial models.

In the model that Biran protive action for the lower he believerin poses for affordable housing, deciles" isnot the cost of the land would be welfare state

where else. "Am to willing pay

taxes,

higher
tax? Of

higher company