The Cost of Israeli Settlements

[Resistance]

New York Times

Israel's announcement yesterday that it would build 600 new homes in West Bank settlements is cause for despair. Those, including this page, who consider such settlements to be one of the biggest obstacles to ending the Israeli-Arab dispute have often complained about the hardships they impose on Palestinians — and about their cost to Israel. The concern has been not only over the prolongation of the conflict and the violence the settlements trigger but also over the money misspent on them that would be far better used inside Israel proper. The true size of that cost, however, has always been something of a mystery. Until now.

Last week, the liberal independent Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a supplement devoted to the settlements and shed an unusual amount of light on this hidden issue. The newspaper said it had given a team of reporters three months to interview officials, pore over ministry budgets and make calculations. The exercise was filled with frustration, but the conclusion drawn is that since 1967, Israel has spent roughly $10 billion on the settlements. Currently, the amount spent on settlements' civilian needs is more than $500 million.

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[laura888]

1. ok - the drain on their pocketbooks is one argument...

...but who can ignore the injustice of the theft of land taken from Palestinians?

[mike_c]

2. more likely U.S. taxpayers have spent $10 billion on the Israeli...

...settlements.