The National Labor Court in Jerusalem has ordered the Population and Immigration Authority to pay NIS 8,000 in legal expenses after finding that the authority unreasonably delayed processing a permit request by Bo.H. Construction Ltd. and Boni HaTichon Civil Engineering and Infrastructures to operate as a foreign construction corporation.
The ruling followed a petition filed by Attorneys Yair David and Efrat Greenberg-Yosef, who asked the court to compel the authority to decide on the companies’ application without further delay.
According to the court, the Population and Immigration Authority acted only after the petition was submitted. Through its Chambers and Corporations Division, the authority approved the request before the scheduled hearing date, a move the court viewed as an attempt to preempt a potentially severe ruling.
Court: Decision Came Only After Legal Pressure
Despite the late approval, the National Labor Court — sitting as a panel of three judges and two public representatives — expressed clear dissatisfaction with the authority’s conduct. The judges noted that the companies had waited approximately two years for a decision, which was issued only after court proceedings were initiated.
In what was described as an exceptional ruling, the court imposed extraordinary costs on the authority, emphasizing that such delays are unacceptable.
“The authority must act within reasonable timeframes,” the court ruled, adding that prolonged inaction and bureaucratic foot-dragging undermine proper administration and justify judicial intervention.
Message to Regulators
By awarding significant expenses against the authority, the court sent what legal sources described as a clear and uncompromising message to the Population and Immigration Authority and other regulators: administrative bodies are obligated to process applications efficiently and cannot postpone decisions indefinitely.
The ruling underscores the court’s willingness to sanction public authorities that fail to meet reasonable standards of administrative conduct, particularly when delays cause prolonged uncertainty and economic harm to businesses.
