The Israel Lands Authority (ILA) announced on Wednesday that it is planning to evacuate five army bases in Gush Dan in the center of the country, and that some of the land will be ready for residential projects within 18 months.

According to ILA director Benzi Lieberman, the land will become available after evacuation of IDF bases at Tzrifin, Tel Hashomer, Sirkin near Petah Tikva, Mahaneh Haslishot at Ramat Gan and Horodetzki in Givatayim.

Lieberman made his announcement in a meeting of the State Control Committee, which had convened in the wake of a state comptroller’s report that strongly criticized the Defense Ministry’s financial and organizational practices for evacuations.

During the meeting, committee chairman Ronnie Bar-On (Kadima) slammed the ministry for evacuating the bases too slowly. Bar-On said that since no dates were fixed to evacuate and clear the bases for apartments, this didn’t seem to be an IDF priority.

Bar-On also criticized the IDF’s position that the evacuations were conditional on their receiving the budget for transferring the bases to the Negev.

“Ministers are indifferent to the state comptroller and have not internalized his criticisms,” Bar-On said. “The government handled his report in a negligent manner and the Defense Ministry’s conduct does not reflect its own commitments and schedule.”

Bar-On also blasted the Prime Minister’s Office for “not bothering to turn up to the meeting, even though they were invited.”

Lieberman said in the meeting that potential existed to create 100,000 housing units on IDF bases between Gedera and Hadera, and that the government would sign a “historic agreement” in the next few days to evacuate the five camps.