Image by Getty Images

By Naomi Zeveloff December 19, 2016

The Israeli government will spend more than $35 million to resettle and compensate residents of Amona, the West Bank outpost slated for demolition this week, as part of a deal to peacefully relocate to other parts of the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media reports.

In order to finance the deal, the government has approved across-the-board cuts to the 2017-2018 budget.

After the Israeli High Court ruled that the outpost was partially built on private Palestinian land, it ordered its evacuation by December 25. On December 18, Amona’s families reached a deal with the government to peacefully leave the outpost, avoiding a predicted violent showdown with the military.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Peace Now, an Israeli human rights group that petitioned the High Court for Amona’s demolition, slammed the government payout in a statement, claiming that the families would get 1 million shekels (around $259,000) each. (A government spokesperson was unable to immediately confirm that figure.)

“The right-wing settler government has conveyed a clear message — in the settlements, crime and threats pay, and how they pay,” Peace Now said.

According to Israel’s Channel 10 news, most of the $35 million will go to infrastructure, landscaping and public building at Shvut Rachel, a settlement near which Amona residents will move to. About $10.3 million will go to families for “rehabilitation of their lives.”

Contact Naomi Zeveloff at [email protected] or on Twitter @naomizeveloff

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount