Israeli Cabinet Okays Millions of Dollars in 'Aid' to Settlements

Almanar

13/12/2009 The Israeli cabinet Sunday approved listing some settlements in the occupied West Bank as "national priority zones," entitling the communities to millions of dollars of extra state funding.

The decision is certain to stir furor as it comes just weeks after Israel instituted a 10-month moratorium on new building permits in the settlements after months of US pressure.

The cabinet voted to approve a proposal to include settlements in the list of communities designated as national priority zones, which entitles them to credits worth 41 million dollars (28 million euros), an Israeli government official told AFP.

The cabinet had been expected to approve the proposal during its morning session, but put off the vote amid disagreements over which communities inside the occupied territories should be included on the list.

In its vote, the cabinet also decided to create a commission that will decide within 30 days on whether to include Askhelon and other communities on the list, the official said.

The new credits will benefit 110,000 settlers and can be used for vocational training programs and other educational or cultural activities.

Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party told public radio that the move was aimed at expressing support for settlements amid the moratorium. "With this, we want to send a message (to the settlers) that we understand their difficulties and want to support them," the minister told public radio.

The European Union on Friday expressed concern over the plan and said it would consult its partners in the Middle East Quartet over the move. "Coordination with the Quartet I think is called for in view of the serious nature of such a move," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said on Friday. "If I understand it rightly, it is a rather serious step," he said. "If that is the decision that will be taken by the Israeli government, we will most certainly express our views on it."