Israeli Government Allocates 45 Million Shekels to West Bank Tourism and Rabbinical Courts

Ahead of an expected intensification of the election campaign, the Israeli government is set to approve sectoral budget transfers totaling 45 million shekels on Sunday. Two key decisions were added to the government's agenda on Friday: the allocation of 27 million shekels to tourism in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and the transfer of 18 million shekels to the rabbinical courts.

The Ministry of Tourism will develop a multi-year plan to promote statutory planning for tourism facilities in the West Bank and to market designated plots for this purpose. For preparing this plan, 7 million shekels will be allocated from the Ministry of Tourism’s budget, spread evenly from 2026 to 2030. Additionally, the ministry will allocate another 20 million shekels, also spread over 2026-2030, as administrative grants for the establishment, conversion, and expansion of hotels in the West Bank.

The second decision involves transferring 18 million shekels to the rabbinical courts. Of this amount, 12 million shekels are designated to enhance security and cleaning services, 3 million shekels for training and professional development of judges and court staff, and 3 million shekels to complete procurement and adapt the computer system for case management. According to the proposal, the entire 18 million shekels for the rabbinical courts will be sourced from the state budget’s interest and fees payments section.