By RON FRIEDMAN
A group of environmental and civil rights organizations headed by the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) and Adam Teva V’Din filed a petition to the Supreme Court on Sunday, requesting a temporary injunction instructing the government to halt discussions of the planning and construction reform and extending the period the public can file responses to the draft from 21 to 90 days. The plaintiffs claim that additional time is required to properly study and debate the plan, which is made up of hundreds of clauses, covering nearly 250 pages, and that the government is trying to rush legislation that is of critical importance without proper public discussion.The draft of the bill was drawn up by members of the Prime Minister’s Office and was first made public on February 10. The reform aims to ease bureaucratic procedures in the planning and construction field. Critics say the plan grants too much power to politicians and lacks sufficient oversight mechanisms.
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