NAZARETH (PIC)– An Israeli news report revealed that the Israeli interior ministry had transferred millions of shekels to settlements to support expansion activities on Palestinian lands in the West Bank.
According to the report the Ministry transferred a grant of 62 million shekels to regional councils in the occupied Palestinian territories in December and falsely claimed that the funds compensated the regional councils for financial aid they would have been eligible to receive from the Jewish agency if they were not over the Green Line.
However the regional councils do not meet the criteria for aid from the Jewish agency because the agency stopped handing out grants to young settlements in 2003 due to financial difficulties.
Despite the Israeli government’s previous promise to the high court of justice to cut such funding it continues to transfer hundreds of millions of shekels to the regional councils in the occupied territories.
The grants received by regional councils in the occupied territories include an Oslo grant (2.5 million shekels) a security grant (37 million shekels) and a security needs grant (20 million shekels) as well as a young settlement grant for only some of the regional councils.
A 24 million shekel young settlement grant was transferred to the regional councils of Megillot Jordan Valley Golan Heights and the Ma’aleh Ephraim.
A 38 million shekel grant was also sent to Gush Etzion Hebron Hills and Binyamin regional councils.
