On Sunday (Jan. 25, 2025), the government is expected to approve a total allocation of 550 million shekels for the years 2026–2027 for what it defines as the “reinforcement of security components.” According to the draft decision, the additional funding is earmarked for the following purposes:
a. 100 million shekels for the fortification of buses and transportation services for settlers.
b. 125 million shekels for the “paving of security roads.”
c. 325 million shekels for security components in communities.
These funds are to be added to the Defense Ministry’s budget for “security components,” which in recent years has totaled approximately 1.25 billion shekels (about 500 million shekels in ongoing expenditures and roughly 750 million in long-term commitments).
The additional funding for “transportation fortification in Judea and Samaria” — including the armoring of buses and transportation services to settlements — comes on top of a budget that in recent years stood at approximately 43 million shekels annually. The government is now seeking to double that amount by adding another 50 million shekels per year.
“Paving of security roads.” One of the central mechanisms enabling the establishment of illegal outposts and settler takeover of vast areas in the occupied territories is the opening of new dirt roads. These roads allow settlers to establish additional outposts, gain rapid access to large areas, and expel Palestinians from them. Over the past two years, Peace Now has documented the construction of more than 222 kilometers (about 138 miles) of new roads paved by settlers in the West Bank, roughly half of them on privately owned Palestinian land. These roads are built under a security pretext, without planning approval or building permits, at a cost of millions of shekels.
Until now, funding for these projects has come from budgets transferred by the government through the Settlement Division as part of its support for settler farms, from funds allocated to settlement local authorities under the rubric of “land patrol units,” and from other, unidentified sources, likely including local authorities themselves. The government is now seeking — to Peace Now’s knowledge, for the first time — to allocate a dedicated budget for the construction of such roads. It should be noted that the explanatory notes to the draft government decision state that part of the funding is also intended for road construction in the Southern parts of Israel and in the Golan Heights.
“Security components for communities.” The draft decision does not specify which communities are involved or what security components are to be funded. The Defense Ministry finances security measures in hundreds of communities considered threatened or located along confrontation lines, some within Israel and others in settlements in the West Bank. As noted, this budget has stood in recent years at approximately 1.25 billion shekels and is allocated according to priorities set by the Defense Ministry. A significant portion of the funding is directed to settlements. The government is now seeking to increase this budget by an additional 325 million shekels over the next two years.
Peace Now: Under the pretext of “security components,” the government has already invested hundreds of millions of shekels in illegal outposts and violent settler farms in the occupied territories. It is now seeking to further expand this budget, deepening Israel’s security and economic entanglement in the occupied territories. It is now clear to all — especially after Oct. 7 — that the settlements constitute a security and economic burden on Israel, yet the government continues to serve only its settler base.