In the UK planning permission is required for building works and they did not have the permission needed to start development. Depends on your exact definition of "crime" but it went against the law of the land and was an act subject to jurisdiction of the local council.
It doesn't depend on my definition of crime. Common law jurisdictions distinguish between felonies and misdemeanors (crimes) and civil infractions (often called "fixed penalties" in the UK). I don't see anything in the article, and I don't see anything anything in the Town and Country Planning Act, that clearly says this is a crime instead of merely a regulatory offense.
It's a perfectly reasonable request, given the extremely strong claim made, for some amount of evidence for the claim. As has become bizarrely common in this thread, the torches and pitchforks came out regardless.
It does depend upon your usage of the word because for many people the common parlance definition of crime is to do something against the law, rules, regulations, etc... not a specific legal definition.
Words and their meanings are important, but so is flexibility in attempting to interpret their underlying meaning.
No, people distinguish pretty clearly, even in common parlance. Nobody in common parlance would say you're a criminal for speeding by 5mph.
I don't think they committed a crime, but my knowledge of UK law is limited and reading the Order and the Act didn't immediately lead to an answer. I'm happy to be shown wrong.
more info: https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/israeli-firm-in-trouble-for-p...