Ben-Gvir’s ministry allocates funding to settlement organisation under international sanctions

Israel’s Ministry of National Security, headed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, has approved the transfer of 4 million shekels to the settlement organisation Ahvat Gilad through a tender exemption procedure, according to ministry documents released on Sunday.

The funding will support a project that the ministry says is intended to reduce violence and establish a network of mentors to work with young people living in settlement outposts, referred to in Israel as “farms,” across the occupied West Bank.

The contract provides funding for approximately 18 months, with an option to extend the agreement for an additional 18 months under a similar budget.

The allocation comes despite the fact that France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Australia, and New Zealand imposed sanctions on Ahvat Gilad last month.

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In announcing the sanctions, the six governments stated that the organization had been involved in financing settlement outposts associated with violence against Palestinians.

The British government said Ahvat Gilad functions as a channel for transferring donations to settlement outposts, including some that it said have been linked to acts of violence and extremist activity.

The Israeli ministry has presented the funded program as an initiative to support youth living in settlement communities and to reduce incidents of violence. The ministry has not publicly addressed the international sanctions imposed on the organization.

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