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Law for the Regulation of Residence in Grazing Areas, 5785-2025

חוק להסדרת מגורים בשטחי מרעה, תשפ"ה-2025

Published: 2025-03-19Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-03-12 · Last amended 2025-03-19✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

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Chapter IV: Regulation of Temporary Residence in a Grazing Hub

Conveyance of the Area to a Public Body and Establishment of the Grazing Hub§

14.
(a)Where a grazing hub plan has been approved, the Israel Lands Authority shall convey to the public body managing the area, within three months of the date of approval of the plan, rights in the grazing hub area pursuant to the plan as aforesaid for the purpose of establishing the shepherd's house and the agricultural structures.
(b)A public body may establish the grazing hub in the area in which rights have been conveyed to it as referred to in subsection (a), in accordance with the approved grazing hub plan; the public body shall bear the costs of the establishment and development of the infrastructure directly required for the grazing hub, including the development of grazing roads, water and drainage systems, sewage disposal, communications, lighting, infrastructure control systems, and any installation directly required for the operation of the infrastructure and constituting an integral part thereof, all as shall be determined in the plan, and shall be responsible for the maintenance of the grazing hub.

Application for Use of a Grazing Hub§

15.

A shepherd may submit to a public body an application for a use authorisation in respect of the grazing hub.

Recommendation of the Competent Authority§

16.

The competent authority, after consulting with the Israel Lands Authority, shall recommend to a public body to enter into an agreement with a shepherd if the competent authority has found that all of the following are satisfied:

(1)the shepherd holds at least one herd;
(2)at the date of the recommendation the shepherd holds a valid grazing authorisation for at least three consecutive years prior to the date of the recommendation, or in the three years preceding the date of the recommendation the shepherd held a grazing authorisation and the shepherd holds a grazing authorisation for a period exceeding at least one year;
(3)the shepherd has undertaken to graze the herd in the close-watch zone throughout the year in accordance with the customary grazing season in that zone;
(4)the shepherd keeps the account books and records that the shepherd is required to keep pursuant to the Income Tax Ordinance [New Version] and the Value Added Tax Law, 5736-1975;
(5)the shepherd holds a valid vaccination and marking certificate for the herd meeting the requirements of the Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Agriculture.

Use Authorisation Agreement and Prohibition on Making Alterations to the Grazing Hub§

17.
(a)Pursuant to the recommendation of the competent authority as referred to in section 16, a public body shall authorise a shepherd who holds a valid grazing authorisation in the close-watch zone to make use of the grazing hub for the purpose of the shepherd's residence and the residence of the shepherd's family members and for the purpose of operating the agricultural structures (in this Law – use authorisation), and shall prescribe the conditions for granting such authorisation and the terms of the authorisation, all as shall be determined in an agreement to be signed between the public body and the shepherd (in this section – use agreement); in this subsection, "family member" – the shepherd's spouse and their children.
(b)Without derogating from the provisions of subsection (a), in the use agreement the shepherd shall undertake, inter alia, that upon the expiry of the use authorisation period or the grazing authorisation period, whichever is earlier, or in any case in which the use authorisation lapses, the shepherd shall vacate the shepherd's house and the agricultural structures; the shepherd shall attach to the use agreement a bank guarantee in favour of the public body to secure the shepherd's compliance with the terms of the agreement, to the satisfaction of the public body.
(c)A shepherd shall not make alterations to the grazing hub except by the public body or with its consent; in this subsection, "alteration" – the erection or extension of a structure or installation, or the use of existing structures or installations for purposes not permitted under the terms of the agreement.
(d)No right whatsoever in the grazing area or the grazing hub shall be vested in the shepherd other than the use authorisation; a use authorisation as aforesaid is not transferable or heritable.
(e)The provisions of this section may not be contracted out of; however, additional conditions beyond those stated therein may be prescribed in the use agreement.

Revocation of the Use Authorisation§

18.
(a)If one of the conditions listed in section 16 ceases to be satisfied, or if the shepherd has fundamentally breached one of the terms of the use agreement pursuant to section 17, including a breach of the provisions pursuant to section 17(c), or if the Israel Lands Authority has notified the public body that the shepherd has fundamentally breached a condition of the grazing authorisation – the public body shall revoke the shepherd's use authorisation in respect of the grazing hub.
(b)A public body shall notify the competent authority and the shepherd of the intention to revoke the use authorisation in respect of the grazing hub shortly before the date on which the condition ceased to be satisfied or the breach was discovered.
(c)A shepherd who has been given a notice as referred to in subsection (b) may present arguments before the head of the public body or an employee of the public body authorised by the head of the public body for that purpose, regarding the intention to revoke the authorisation.
(d)Where a defect as referred to in subsection (a) is capable of being remedied, the public body shall notify the shepherd of the possibility of remedying it; if three months have elapsed and the defect has not been remedied, the public body shall revoke the shepherd's use authorisation.

Restoration of the Site to Its Former Condition upon Expiry or Revocation of the Use Authorisation§

19.

Where the use authorisation has been revoked pursuant to the provisions of section 18 or pursuant to the provisions of the use agreement under section 17, or where the period of the use authorisation in respect of a grazing hub granted pursuant to this Law has ended, all engagement and all rights of use received by the shepherd from a public body for the use of the grazing hub for grazing purposes shall terminate; the shepherd shall vacate the grazing hub and restore the site to its former condition in accordance with the provisions prescribed in the plan pursuant to section 9(a)(3), unless the public body has instructed the shepherd not to do so; if the shepherd has not restored the site to its former condition, the public body or the Israel Lands Authority shall be empowered to restore the site to its former condition, and the shepherd shall bear the costs incurred by them for that purpose.

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Chapter V: Miscellaneous Provisions

Exemption from Tender§

20.

Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, the conveyance of rights in an area by the Israel Lands Authority to a public body for the purpose of planning pursuant to section 7(a), or the establishment of the shepherd's house and the agricultural structures, and an engagement by a public body with a shepherd pursuant to section 17, do not require a tender, provided that the engagement between the public body and the shepherd is made pursuant to the recommendation of the competent authority and that the shepherd holds a valid grazing authorisation from the Israel Lands Authority.

Implementation and Regulations§

21.

The Minister is responsible for the implementation of this Law, and may make Regulations for its implementation; among other things, the Minister may prescribe, by Order, additional structures that shall be deemed agricultural structures for the purposes of this Law.

Transitional Provisions§

22.
(a)Notwithstanding anything provided in any law, if the Minister declares, within one year from the date of commencement of this Law (in this Section – the declaration period), an area as a close-watch zone pursuant to section 2, a person who, for at least three years out of the five years preceding the commencement of this Law, held a valid grazing authorisation in respect of an area included in that zone shall be entitled to continue the residential use and agricultural use only of a structure erected before the commencement of this Law in the area declared as a close-watch zone, after having applied to the competent authority with a request pursuant to subsection (b)(1) and having obtained the advisory team's approval for the continuation of such use (in this Section – use approval); the Minister may, by Order, extend the declaration period by one or more additional periods, provided that the cumulative duration of such periods does not exceed six months (in this Section – the extension period).
(b)The advisory team shall grant a use approval after finding that all of the following conditions have been met:
(1)the competent authority has determined that the conditions under section 16(1) and (3) to (5) are satisfied in respect of the applicant referred to in subsection (a) (in this Section – the applicant), provided that the applicant applied to the competent authority with a request within six months from the date of commencement of this Law; the competent authority's determination shall be given within six months from the date of the applicant's application;
(2)a public body has confirmed its intention to submit, within three months from the date of the Minister's declaration as referred to in subsection (a), a plan for the establishment of a grazing hub in the declared area, in accordance with the provisions of this Law;
(3)the applicant has deposited a guarantee for the vacation of the structures and has undertaken to vacate the structures if the use approval lapses pursuant to subsection (c), and to demolish the structures and building additions that are not for agricultural use or for a shepherd's house, in accordance with the public body's directions, within one month from the date on which the use approval is granted.
(c)A use approval shall lapse if a plan for a grazing hub in the area in respect of which it was granted is rejected; without derogating from the foregoing, a use approval shall lapse upon the occurrence of any of the following:
(1)the Minister has not declared the area as a close-watch zone within the declaration period, or, if the Minister has extended the period by Order as referred to in subsection (a), within the extension period;
(2)a plan for a grazing hub has not been submitted within one year from the date of the declaration in respect of the area for which the use approval was granted;
(3)a plan for a grazing hub in respect of the area referred to in paragraph (2) has not been approved and a permit pursuant to such plan has not been granted within one year from the date of submission of the plan;
(4)a use agreement with a public body pursuant to section 17 has not been signed within six months from the date of approval of the grazing hub plan in respect of the area referred to in paragraph (2).
(d)
(1)The shepherd may apply to the advisory team with a request to extend the periods specified in subsection (c); if the advisory team has not extended the periods within 90 days from the date of the application, the request for continuation of use as referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to have been rejected;
(2)without derogating from the provisions of paragraph (1), the advisory team may extend the periods specified in subsection (c) by six months and may again extend them by a further six months each time, if it finds that the circumstances of the matter so justify.
(e)If a use approval has not been granted or the use approval has lapsed, the applicant shall vacate the structures used in the area referred to in subsection (a) and shall demolish them within two months from the date on which the request was rejected or the approval lapsed.
(f)
(1)If a grazing hub plan has been approved in respect of an area for which the applicant was granted a use approval, the determination of the Ministry of Agriculture shall be deemed to constitute a recommendation to the public body to enter into an agreement with the applicant pursuant to section 16, and the applicant shall sign an agreement with the Israel Lands Authority and with the public body;
(2)the agreement referred to in paragraph (1) shall include, among other things, provisions as detailed below, and the provisions of sections 17 to 20 shall apply:
(a)the applicant shall declare and confirm that the applicant has no rights whatsoever in the real property, and that if the applicant did have such rights, the applicant waives them;
(b)the Israel Lands Authority shall waive any claim for mesne profits or any other claim in respect of the real property in connection with residential use;
(c)the Israel Lands Authority shall convey rights in the area to the public body pursuant to the provisions of section 14(a), and the public body shall permit the use of the area by the applicant pursuant to the provisions of section 17;
(3)upon the signing of an agreement pursuant to paragraph (1), the applicant shall make the required adjustments in the area for which the use approval was granted, in accordance with the provisions of the plan.
(g)Notwithstanding the provisions of section 9(a)(1), the local committee may prescribe provisions regarding construction in a grazing hub plan in respect of the area referred to in subsection (c)(2), having regard to the type of existing construction in the area.

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