Our firm is proud to represent PHI, the leading telecommunications infrastructure corporation in Israel, jointly owned by Partner and HOT Mobile.

Recently, PHI completed the establishment of a critical communications facility in the Ganei Ayalon neighbourhood of Lod—a newly populated area home to approximately 14,000 residents, which has long suffered from poor cellular coverage. The new facility is designed to resolve these long-standing service gaps and ensure proper coverage for users of the network.

Despite the clear public need for the facility, a group of local residents filed legal proceedings opposing its construction. The residents submitted an appeal to the Central District Planning and Building Appeals Committee, challenging the legality of the building permit granted to PHI and requesting an extension of time to file their appeal.

On 12 December 2024, the Committee granted the extension and issued a preliminary view suggesting that the permit may have been issued unlawfully.

Our Planning and Zoning Department, representing PHI, submitted a detailed written response and presented comprehensive oral arguments during a hearing on 7 January 2024. Following the hearing, the Committee was persuaded—contrary to its initial stance—that the permit was lawfully issued and aligned with the applicable zoning plans.

In light of this, the Committee advised the appellants to withdraw their appeal, noting that if a ruling were to be issued, legal costs would likely be awarded against them.

The appellants subsequently agreed to withdraw the appeal, and the case was officially closed.

PHI was represented by Adv. Yacov Cohen, Head of our Planning and Zoning Department, and Adv. Nir Shafran, Partner in the department.

For reading: Calcalist