Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the Israeli government budged, allotted for settlement activities in the occupied territories, is hundreds of millions over the allocated annual budget.Haaretz said that, by investigating the general budget of the Israeli government, it became clear that the government spent millions of Israeli Shekels to finance settlement activities in violation of the original budget.
In 2012, Tel Aviv allocated NIS 60.3 Million shekels for settlement activities, but nearly 272 Million have been paid in that year.
In 2011, 50 Million NIS were approved for settlement activities, but the government spent 373 Million.
The money was paid to the Settlements Department of the World Zionist Organization; Haaretz said that the government transferred dozens to hundreds of millions in what was described as “additional funds”.
Haaretz said that the funds were transferred by the government despite the fact that the department is a formal part of the World Zionist Organization, and not a government run group.
The department owns the majority of the lands allotted for Israel’s illegal settlement activities, in the occupied territories.
It manages those lands and transfers them mainly to the settlement branch of the “Council of Jewish Settlements in the Judea and Samaria”.
Haaretz said that Tel Aviv authorized the department to build homes in West bank settlements to settlers who were evacuated from the Gaza Strip and from the Migron West bank settlement.
The authorization also includes constructions in the Negev and the Galilee. Former Foreign Minister, leader of the extremist Yisrael Beiteinu party, Avigdor Lieberman, appointed Danni Kritchman, to the head of the department.
