Israel spends over one billion Shekels on settlement activities

The Israeli government spent over NIS 1.1 billion (around $400 million) on constant settlement activities at the occupied West Bank in 2011, an official report has shown. According to Israeli newspaper (Haaretz), spending last year represented a 38% increase over funds allocated in 2010. In another report, Peace Now states that Israel could save NIS 1.6 billion a year if it were to match the level of government expenditure on services such as education and infrastructure in the settlements with the number of people who live there. "If the government would just make per capita spending for residents of the settlements equal to spending for the rest of the country's citizens, we would be able to cancel the widespread [budget] cuts and significantly reduce tax increases," said the Peace Now head in the report. The expenditure comes under the context of ongoing plans to expand settlements, especially in the vicinity of the city of Jerusalem and near a number of cities in the West Bank.