Last week, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs published a “call for proposals” offering local authorities in settlements funding for outreach activities. Each authority can receive funding of up to NIS 1 million for conferences and tours for opinion leaders from Israel and abroad, as well as for the creation and distribution of media content. The activity is defined as part of the “struggle against delegitimization against Israel,” but it is intended exclusively for authorities in the settlements beyond the Green Line (and in the Golan).
Peace Now: While the government is raising taxes, cutting services and placing the entire burden of the cost of war on the public, it is pouring millions into financing political campaigns for a minority of messianic settlers. The pretext of fighting delegitimization is just an excuse, while it is clear to everyone that these are funds intended for political purposes solely for settlers beyond the Green Line.
The Ministry of Diaspora does not specify how much money is intended to finance the settlements’ outreach activities. According to the call for proposals, each authority can receive funding of up to NIS 1 million. There are 24 local authorities in the settlements and two more in the Golan Heights, so theoretically this might amount to 26 million NIS. According to the wording of the call for proposals, it appears that at least some of funding is intended for activities that the local authorities have been operating for years, and will now receive funding from the government. In fact, the Ministry of Diaspora is offering higher funding to authorities that have already employed someone in the outreach field for the past two years.
The Ministry of Diaspora’s call for proposals (in Hebrew)
The “Ministry of Diaspora and the Fight against Anti-Semitism” was established by Israeli governments in order to allow for the addition of more ministerial positions, taking tasks that were previously the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In recent years, it has been reported that the Ministry of Diaspora finances the activities of organizations in the United States that fight to affect the American public discourse, and that it funded elements that work to promote legislation in the United States that restrict freedom of expression in relation to Israel. The current Netanyahu government has significantly increased the ministry’s budget from NIS 93.2 million in 2022 to NIS 230 million in 2024, despite the war and budget cuts.