Lowest in over a decade: The Israel Land Authority fails to market land for apartment construction

The Israel Land Authority (ILA) is expected to market only about 40,000 housing units this year—a 13-year low and less than half the volume in 2025. The decline is attributed to political indifference and an unprofessional executive level, amid a controversial appointment of an acting director.

The Israel Land Authority (ILA) is expected to end 2026 at a 13-year low in land marketing for housing, with only about 40,000 housing units—less than half the volume last year (about 92,000) and a drop of about 65% compared to 2024 (about 113,000). The data is based on state reports and tenders that have been executed or closed for review. The sharp decline is attributed to a combination of political indifference and an unprofessional executive level, following a period of accelerated marketing under director Yanki Quint. The appointment of Yehuda Eliyahu, a confidant of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as acting director after a petition to the High Court of Justice, points to managerial challenges. The Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing, Yehuda Morgenstern, promised at the Globes real estate conference that the gap would be closed, but as of now the target seems impossible.