NIS 2.8m approved for West Bank settlement construction

The Knesset Finance Committee approved on Wednesday the transfer of NIS 2.4 million for the constructions of public buildings in the Gush Etzion settlement area of the West Bank. Another NIS 380,000 was approved to fund security for Jewish settlers in east Jerusalem. The transfers were approved by a majority of the coalition partners.

MK Haim Oron (Yahad), who opposed the transfers, said they were part of an ongoing scandal.

"In the past year, the government transferred more than NIS 32 million to fund private police forces to protect Jews in east Jerusalem. The money was transferred from the Housing Ministry's budget. It is simply not possible that residents of east Jerusalem should have their own private police with a private budget," Oron said.

The Finance Committee also Wednesday refused a request to transfer to the Ministry of Science NIS 2.4 million from balancing grants slated for the local authorities.

MK Avraham Shohat (Labor) said this was a "deal between interested parties in Shinui between Interior Minister Avraham Poraz and the Science Ministry which is controlled by Shinui. This transfer is not acceptable because the local authorities are collapsing due to a lack of budget and to wild cuts made by the government to their balancing grants. Shinui ministers apparently see the Interior Ministry as a slush fund for their interests and a deal of this sort between two ministries must be viewed very critically."