Study: Illegal Israeli settlers receive 4 times the funding

Settlers receive four times the budget allocated to ordinary citizens living within Israel, a new study has revealed.

They also receive 24 per cent more than those living in the Negev and 19 per cent more than people living in the Galilee.

According to the study prepared by Dr Roby Nathanson from the Macro Centre for Political Economics, a settler in the West Bank will receive 1,923 shekels ($503) annually in the form of grants and tax privileges in the context of the state’s budget for 2017-2018, approved by the Knesset this morning.

On the other hand, an ordinary Israeli citizen living inside the Green Line will receive 506 shekels ($132), a citizen in the Negev will receive 1,555 shekels ($407), and those in the Galilee will receive 1,619 shekels ($424).

Israel’s economic newspaper, Calcalist, affiliated with Yedioth Ahronoth quoted the study saying that the preferential treatment of settlers has not taken place in the past.

Two decisions were made this year widening the gap between settlers and non-settlers. The government claimed that these two decisions were made “in light of the security situation”. They include a pledge to give settlers in settlements in Hebron and Kiryat Arba 55 million shekels ($14.4 million) until 2018. This money will be distributed amongst the various ministries .