Itongadol.- Over five years after the government’s official mandate to transfer all national units of parliament to Jerusalem – with the exception of regional offices – implementation of the landmark undertaking has significantly failed, according to the latest State Comptroller Report.
The decision to relocate the offices was made in May 2007 in accordance with the Basic Law stating that the capital “is the seat of government is Jerusalem.”
The government contended that concentrating all its activity in the capital was a key means of strengthening the city politically, socially and economically.
Indeed, the addition of thousands of jobs and hundreds of thousands of square meters of office buildings would substantially increase property taxes and general commerce transactions, improving the capital’s present economic woes, the government determined.
The government resolution, entitled “Moving the national units of government to Jerusalem” stipulated that nearly all government offices will be “gradually transferred” into the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem by 2015.
The decision was made in coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office, Government Housing Administration, Finance Ministry and Jerusalem Development Authority, the report stated.
The director of the Prime Minister’s Office was subsequently charged with formulating an implementation team to devise a “master plan” to move government offices to the capital within the stated eight-year window.