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Israeli gov't approves allocation of $19 mln to Jewish West Bank settlements

Xinhua, June 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israeli government on Sunday approved the transfer of about 19 million U.S. dollars to Jewish settlements in the West Bank territories.

Members of the Israeli government voted in favor of a resolution allocating 72 million shekels (about 19 million U.S. dollars) to Jewish communities in the territories at their weekly meeting.

While the allocation was cited as being motivated by "security concerns," amid a nine-month-long wave of attacks between Israelis and Palestinians which claimed the lives of at least 38 Israelis and 209 Palestinians, some of the funds are also aimed at aiding businesses and developing tourism.

"Today, the cabinet will discuss an assistance plan to strengthen communities in Judea and Samaria (Jewish biblical names for the West Bank)," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, according to a statement from his office.

"This entails the work of many ministries on behalf of the residents there, and will, inter alia, strengthen security, assist small businesses and encourage tourism," Netanyahu added.

Israel occupied the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip territories during the 1967 Mideast War. Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories is deemed illegal by the international community.

As part of the overall plan, 15 million shekels (about 4 million dollars) out of the 72 would go to the local authorities of the settlement, 10 million shekels (about 2.6 million dollars) will go to improve current agricultural structures.

Furthermore, funds will be allocated to fund "resilience centers" to help citizens in mental distress, and at least six million shekels (1.5 million dollars) will go to social and welfare affairs.

Financial aid will also be given for small and medium-sized businesses in the area, and to promote tourism in the region.

While right-wing ministers welcomed the decision, center and left-wing lawmakers bashed it.

"Increasing the budget is necessary to strengthen the settlement and will contribute a lot to the strength of the residents," Welfare Minister Haim Katz (Likud) said in a statement following the approval.

"It is our responsibility to care for the communities who are situated at front of the fight against terror, facing complex security and social challenges," he added.

On the other hand, MK Dov Hanin from the Joint List slammed the Israeli government for "continuing to favor the settlements in all aspects of human lives," as the policy is "to invest in these territories and base settlements on them in order to thwart any advance toward the two-state solution."

Whereas Israeli leaders claim the wave of unrest in the past nine months is the result of incitement to violence by the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians charge it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupations. Endit