It happened the first time just after Israels founding. The country was still reeling from the War of Independence and was strapped for cash. Jewish immigration back then was joyfully known as the ingathering of exiles and the government still subscribed to the slogan of socialism in our time. In that spirit, Housing Minister Golda Meir broke ground on a project called Peoples Housing. It was an architectural eyesore. An ecological hazard. The epitome of ugly. But new immigrants who had survived the Holocaust or fled Arab countries acquired a roof over their heads, which is always preferable to sleeping outdoors. Forty years later Housing Minister Ariel Sharon ploughed forward, building massive construction projects amid massive criticism, but newly arrived Jews from the Soviet Union were able to find homes, and this beat living in the streets. Now round three is underway. Its less dramatic, and we have more means, but the clock is still ticking. This urgency is perhaps the only justification for the National Housing Committee bill, slated for final approval on Wednesday, even against the intense and unexplained opposition emanating from the protest movement leaders. If their goal is to force the government to build housing projects and excise the free market, then the Knesset must find a majority to ignore this view and approve the bill, even if the streets fill back up with raging demonstrators. This is because the bill is not meant to serve as a cure-all for the housing crisis but rather as a step in the right direction; even if it results in construction that is environmentally unappealing. Netanyahu holds a degree in architecture from MIT. Perhaps if he had pursued a career in this field he would have joined the chorus of those highlighting the faults of the bill he has sponsored as prime minister. The environmentalists have a point. But Meir and Sharon's old premise still applies, even if the circumstances have changed. A roof over our heads is the name of the game. The merits for passing this bill must be set apart from the bill itself. The government must have contractors commit to a particular price, size and date of entry for the apartments they build. That is what affordable housing really means. Also, we must bolster supply by making apartments available for rent while construction is underway. While this bill will not guarantee a roof over one's head anytime soon, it can definitely get construction going. Opposition to this bill should be on environmental grounds, if at all. Let each citizen decided what is more important. The sponsors of the bill should have widespread support until it is clear whether it was effective or the government fulfilled the promises it made in exchange for getting it passed. Already there are those who seek to extract political mileage from this bill, for their own benefit or that of their constituents. On Tuesday, 42 ministers and Knesset members signed a petition calling on Netanyahu to promise that the accelerated construction made possible by the law would apply to Judea and Samaria as well. Netanyahu would be making the right decision if he opts to send them back to where they came from, or, as they say nowadays, show them the door. There should be a consensus on this bill, or something close to it. No promises. No conditions. Because if he makes promises to the settlers he will soon have to contend with throngs of lobbyists descending on his office. Such efforts must be nipped in the bud.
