Step of agreement that will provoke the reaction of Netanyahu

The Israeli government plans to allocate $190 million to illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, increasing its budget almost 10 times.

According to information compiled from the report of the Israeli non-governmental organization Peace Now, the Israeli far-right government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will increase “unprecedented” funds for Jewish settlements, considered illegal under international law. . According to the Israeli NGO report, the government’s draft plan includes funding of 671.63 million shekels (about $190 million) from the 2023-2024 budget. However, in addition to this, there are items that do not yet have determined allocation amounts and therefore the total amount is expected to increase significantly.

The NIS 92 million of these funds are defined as “indefinite (spending) funds” and allow settlements to use this money for almost any purpose. In the report, it was noted that some of the budgets were determined in the coalition agreement of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government formed with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.

According to the report, the funds allocated to agreements in decisions made by previous governments as of 2016 amounted to 71 million shekels for education, welfare and development purposes. The current plan is about ten times the amount the government set six years ago.

A significant part of this funding will go to the “Settlement Squad”, a non-governmental organization funded by the Israeli government but dependent on the World Zionist Organization, under the auspices of the Ministry of Settlements and National Mission. (AA)