An armed Israeli gestures amid clashes between settlers and Palestinians in Burin village, after settlers reportedly set cars on fire in the village. File AFP
According to the plan, 1.1 billion shekels will be allocated to strengthen existing settlements and establish new ones. Of this, 660 million shekels will go to the 17 colonies recently approved by the government, and 338 million shekels will be used to develop 36 colonies and outposts currently under planning. This development will include infrastructure such as water, sewage, and electricity, as well as public buildings like religious centers, schools, and clubs.
The government will also allocate 300 million shekels to the new settlements, including 160 million shekels as an establishment grant and 140 million shekels for planning purposes. Additionally, the plan includes the construction of "absorption warehouses" containing approximately 20 caravans for families, thus paving the way for future colonial expansion.
The plan also includes allocating 434 million shekels to existing colonies for infrastructure rehabilitation, 300 million to settlement councils in the West Bank, 140 million for roadblocks, and 150 million for bus protection over three years.
More than 730,000 Israeli settlers live in Jewish-only settlements among 3 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Armed and dangerous, Israeli settlers carry out violent and deadly attacks on Palestinian towns and villages daily under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces. These attacks include arson against Palestinian farms, olive groves, homes, and other property.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz is expected to allocate additional budgets to bolster security in new colonies, including smart fences, cameras, and military equipment depots.
The plan addresses strategies to strengthen Israeli control beyond the 1948 borders by developing settlements, constructing roads, relocating military bases, and establishing administrative and military control over targeted areas, amounting to the de facto annexation of the West Bank.
It also stipulates allocating 225 million shekels to establish a special "land registry" unit for the West Bank, transferring land registration from the "Civil Administration" to it. This will affect approximately half a million colonies and aims to regulate some 60,000 dunams by 2030.
The newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported that the plan includes relocating three military bases to the northern West Bank, most notably moving the headquarters of the "Menashe" Brigade to the area of the former "Shanur" colony, a move described as dramatic and intended to strengthen the military and colonial grip on the region.
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