A group of US citizens who are lessees of apartments in the Nayot and Talbiyeh neighborhoods of Jerusalem is being organized in an effort influence the makeup of the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL) executive board following the upcoming World Zionist Organization election, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
The group’s goal is for KKL to extend its primary lease of land, which includes about 1,000 apartments, for another century or more. The 99-year lease is set to expire between 2051-2052, but according to the original lease agreement between KKL and the Greek Orthodox Church, the KKL has the right to extend the lease.
The group consists of sublessees of the apartments from KKL. Beginning in 2012, the church sold the land in question to private investors at below-market prices.
According to the lease agreement, the current owner of the lands, investor Gary Barnett, is expected to receive full rights for the land when the KKL lease expires.
Barnett has attempted in recent years to cut a deal with the sublessees, whereby they will receive full ownership of their apartments in exchange for their agreement to a large pinui-binui – evacuation-reconstruction, or tear down and rebuild, a project that involves evacuating old buildings that are then demolished and replacing them with new ones instead – and other conditions.
Members of Knesset asked for solution
Members of the group of sublessees, however, have argued that their lease’s long-term character already grants them certain ownership rights.
They say a broad reform in the early 2000s had granted many lessees in similar cases ownership of their apartments at zero cost and without conditions.
The group has lobbied MKs to come up with a solution.
A recent bill by National Unity MK Michael Biton, which is known as the fair leasing bill, was supported by about 40 MKs from both the coalition and the opposition. It would grant the sublessees the right to extend their lease for an additional period and the first right to purchase the apartment in case of a future sale at the cost of 5.5% of the value of the land.
The group decided to simultaneously pursue another track: to influence the directorship of KKL so that it could cut a deal with Barnett and extend the primary lease agreement for another century or more. This would give the sublessees semi-ownership rights over their apartments for the foreseeable future.
The group intends to create a voter bloc for the upcoming election to the WZO, which will be held from March 10 until May 4. Many of the sublessees are US citizens and eligible to vote in the WZO election.
There are likely more than 1,000 voters, so the group has a significant amount of influence and could influence some delegates.
The group said it would cast its vote for the party that is most committed to promoting its cause.In particular, the group wants the KKL to expand the lease agreement in coalition negotiations. This would likely entail demanding a significant presence on the KKL executive board, which is appointed by the WZO based on coalition agreements.
The group intends to conduct a Zoom conference in early February to launch its operation.The March vote for the 152 US representatives in the WZO, who make up about one-third of the body, would have 2,900 candidates from 22 slates, the American Zionist Movement said last week. The number of candidates has increased 60% since the 2020 election, and the 22 slates represent a 69% increase from the previous election’s 13 slates.
The slates represent a variety of different ideological, political, cultural, and American religious-Zionist beliefs and movements. The candidates reportedly hail from 43 US states and territories.
The elected American delegates will decide at the 39th WZO, to be held in Jerusalem in October, the allocation of more than $1 billion in funding and the leadership and priorities of key global Zionist institutions, including the WZO, the KKL, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the United Israel Appeal.
To vote, one must be Jewish, 18 years or older by June 30, a US citizen or legal resident with a primary residence in that country, ascribe to the Zionist movement’s platform, and not have voted in a recent Knesset election. Voters must also pay a $5 registration and voting fee to cover operating costs.
Michael Starr contributed to this report.