Israeli government paying to set up and dismantle illegal outposts

Israeli government paying to set up and dismantle illegal outposts

JERUSALEM, June 26-- (Agence France Presse) The government of Israel is funneling money into the establishment of illegal settlements in the West Bank -- and also paying to have them dismantled, Israel private television reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the funds for setting up a number of the illegal wildcat outposts have been channelled through a branch of the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency.

The money, which comes out of the government's agriculture budget, was passed on by the Agency to a body representing the settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the members of which then use it as they see fit, the report said. Some of the money was put towards the establishment of illegal outposts such as Adei Ad, an outpost situated between the West Bank towns of Ramallah and Nablus which was slated for removal Thursday, but postponed at the last minute by a High Court injunction.

A court is to consider the removal order on Sunday.

But government sources cited in the report denied knowing that the money was being used for illegal settlement activity, saying they had only become aware of the phenomenon after they were approached by the Ministry of Defence, which is responsible for dismantling the outposts.

"We didn't know we were giving money to illegal settlements," the source told Israel channel 2 news. "We are now checking to see where it is going on the ground."

The issue of government funding being channelled into the outposts is to be debated by the parliamentary Finance Committee on Tuesday, the television said.

MK Avshalom Vilan, a member of the dovish Meretz party, described the situation as "absurd".

"It is absurd... if the government of Israel is, with one hand transferring money to set up the outposts, and with the other paying money to get rid of them," he told the channel.

"If that is not the State acting at the height of stupidity, I don't know what is."

The Israeli army began dismantling illegal settlement outposts on June 9 in line with commitments made by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the Aqaba summit in Jordan on June 4.

As part of his commitment to the US-backed Mideast peace roadmap, Sharon pledged to get rid of "wildcat" settlements in the West Bank.

According to the anti-settlement group Peace Now, more than 60 illegal outposts have been set up since Sharon came to power in March 2001.

Under international law, all Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are regarded as illegal.

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