Real estate9/18/2026

“Dira BeHanaha” Website Temporarily Shut Down Following High Court of Justice Ruling

The Ministry of Construction and Housing has temporarily suspended operation of the “Dira BeHanaha” lottery website. The ministry is updating the system to remove from the waiting lists Haredi draft-eligible individuals who have not regularized their status with the IDF.

Key facts

•Publication: September 18, 2026
•High Court of Justice ruling: April 2026
•Processing of applications submitted after September 17, 2026, at 18:30 has been postponed
•Winners who have already won retain their award
•Draft-eligible individuals will be removed from the waiting lists
•The case number is not specified in the source

What the Court Ruled

In April 2026, High Court of Justice justices criticized the government for continuing to grant housing benefits to citizens obligated to serve who do not enlist. The court ordered that their participation in the lotteries be halted until they regularize their status with the IDF. The case number and the exact date of the ruling are not specified in the source.

Who Will Be Affected by the Changes

According to the position of the Attorney General, winners who have already won in previous lotteries will not lose their award, even if they have not regularized their status with the IDF. However, participants obligated to serve who are still on the waiting lists will be removed from them. This concerns, for example, those who might have received an apartment after the original winner relinquished it.

Why the Website Is Unavailable

The ministry shut down the website to identify and remove such participants from previous waiting lists. It is temporarily impossible to issue new eligibility certificates for participation in the program or extend existing certificates. Applications submitted after September 17, 2026, at 18:30 will be processed only after the update is completed.

When Operations Will Resume

As of the publication date, September 18, 2026, no date had yet been set for completion of the technical work. The ministry announced that it would provide information on the timetable after Yom Kippur, and updates would be published on its official website. Once operations resume, users will again be able to perform the usual actions in the system.

What this means for you

Program participants should take into account that the issuance and extension of eligibility certificates for participation are temporarily unavailable. Those who have already won in previous lotteries retain their award, according to the position cited in the source, while waiting participants who are obligated to serve and have not regularized their status with the IDF may be removed from the lists.

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Case analysis based on court rulings