Israeli government cuts 220 million NIS from Palestinian development budget, reroutes funds to ‘Shin Bet’

OCCUPIED QUDS, Dec. 15 (YPA) – The Israeli occupation government approved a decision to cut 220.7 million NIS (Shekels) from the budget of the Five-Year Plan dedicated to developing Palestinian society within the 1948 territories.

This amount will be directly transferred to the Shin Bet (General Security Service) and the Israeli occupation police, under the pretext of combating crime.

The cut involves funds originally allocated to vital sectors such as education, culture, sports, youth programs, and local authority development.

The decision followed pressure exerted by the extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Social Equality Minister May Golan.

The move provoked widespread Arab and human rights criticism. Experts warned that the measure deepens social gaps and solidifies a security-only approach that ignores the structural causes of violence. Rights advocates deemed the cut detrimental to long-term investment and lacking legal rationality.

YPA