Israeli Government Approves Over NIS 1 Billion for Roads to New West Bank Settlements
The Israeli government has approved a budget exceeding 1 billion shekels to fund the construction of access and security roads for dozens of new settlements in the West Bank. This decision follows two months of professional work by the Settlement Administration and was made to address the urgent need for safe and secure access routes that cannot be financed through regular land development channels. The budget, totaling 1.075 billion shekels, will be allocated to the Ministries of Transportation and Defense and will be spread over three years to cover planning and paving of new roads as well as upgrading existing ones, including connecting different settlements.
Among the settlements benefiting from this funding are four that were evacuated in the northern Samaria region: Homesh, Sha-Nur, Ganim, and Kadim. The plan was developed through a detailed multi-year program by the Ministry of Transportation in cooperation with the Settlement Administration and the Ministry of Finance. It includes integrated security components tailored for settlements in Judea and Samaria.
Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich expressed satisfaction with the approval, calling it a "historic decision" that will enable the establishment of dozens of settlements at strategic points in the West Bank. He emphasized that the initiative represents a security-settlement revolution, with over 100 settlements and 160 farms strengthening Israel's security and countering the idea of a terror state within Israel's heartland. Smotrich also contrasted this plan with former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot's proposals to evacuate new settlements, highlighting the government's commitment to building and securing these communities.
The government aims to remove bureaucratic obstacles and secure necessary approvals to ensure safe and regulated movement within the new settlements. The program will automatically include any future settlements established or regularized in the West Bank under government decisions.
