6 December 2012

In a precedent setting decision, the Tel Aviv District Court has ruled that the Tel Aviv – Jaffa Municipality cannot evict homeless people from public spaces and is not entitled to confiscate their personal property.  The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) represented several homeless plaintiffs.

The petition was filed in October 2011 when, alongside the eviction of the social protest tents, ACRI received complaints from homeless people describing their daily harassment by municipal inspectors. In accepting the petition Judge Dr. Michal Agmon-Gonen said, “The exclusion of homeless people from the public space threatens their very existence."

ACRI Attorney and NIF Law Fellow alum Gil Gan-Mor said the ruling sent a clear message to local authorities throughout Israel and added, "I hope that instead of harassment, we will start to see an effective and committed policy designed to help the homeless and protect their rights."