Israel approves $37m to seize more than 70 occupied West Bank sites

The funding, approved by a government steering committee on Tuesday, builds on a 250 million shekel ($83m) plan approved in May aimed at claiming archaeological sites across the West Bank, the Jordan Valley and elsewhere. The committee said in a statement that the Settlements Ministry is set to receive 157 million shekels ($52m) in direct funding, along with a further 142 million shekels ($47m) in commitment authorisations. The new allocation lands on the same day that the Knesset’s Finance Committee separately approved close to 300 million shekels (about $99m) in direct funding and commitments to Israel’s Settlements Ministry. “This is a Zionist act of the highest order. A people without a past has no future,” Smotrich said, describing plans for new visitor centres and research facilities. Israel designates the landmarks as Jewish heritage locations, as it seeks to extend state control over Palestinian property and territory. The occupied West Bank is home to thousands of archeological and heritage sites, some of which date back hundreds of years. While Smotrich did not name the specific sites, Palestinian media reported that the plans aim to take over Solomon’s Pools near Bethlehem – a site Smotrich has previously sought to bring under Israeli control. About 104 settlements and 160 outposts have been approved in the occupied West Bank since 2022, according to Smotrich. The Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law. Israel’s funding for illegal settlement expansion has continued amid an intensified campaign of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, with more than 11,000 settler and military attacks across the region so far this year, according to Palestinian media.