Israel settlements demand extra budget for 'security'

Illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank have sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that extra finances be allocated for their “security”.

The letter came after about 100 settler families – who were affected by the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank earlier this month – asked the heads of Israel’s settlement councils to put pressure on Netanyahu to reinforce the budget for settlement security, Quds Press reported citing Israeli news website 0404.

“We call for Prime Minister Netanyahu to reply to the letter of the heads of settlement councils by accepting the proposed budget in order to reinforce security in the West Bank settlements,” the letter read. It added:

We call on the Prime Minister and Defence Minister [Netanyahu currently holds both portfolios] to afford security for the settlers in the West Bank. They are no longer secure and it is unreasonable for the government to reject the budget needed for settlement security due to financial reasons.

During the past few weeks, Israeli settlers have organised several protests against what they perceive to be Israel’s weak security in the occupied West Bank, while settler youth have taken matters into their own hands and carried out attacks on Palestinians living in nearby villages.

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