Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in his capacity as Acting Finance Minister, today approved Israel Land Administration (http://www.mmi.gov.il/Envelope/indexeng.asp) Council decisions that specify rights regarding residential plots in agricultural communities (kibbutzim,  moshavim and cooperative villages).  The decisions will – for the first time – allow landholders in these communities to anchor their rights in long-term leases and provide for non-agricultural employment on residential plots.

Prime Minister Olmert said: “This is an historic decision that corrects an old injustice and allows farmers to realize their rights over their holdings.  I am pleased to sign these decisions today, decisions that finally allow farmers to act as landowners and that free them from unnecessary restraints.”