Image by Getty Images

A new study, which the Israeli Education Ministry has claimed is inaccurate, has found that the government spends nearly twice as much per Jewish student in isolated West Bank settlements as on the average Israeli pupil.

According to the new study by the Tel Aviv-based Macro Center for Political Economics, which according to its website is an “autonomous organization” that “combines scholarly research with economic efficiency,” Israel spends $3,420 per student each year in small settlements east of the security fence compared to a national average of $1,721, Ynet reported.

The study, reported on in Israeli media outlets Monday, also found that students in isolated settlements enjoy lower student-teacher ratios than the national average. Compared to settlements in large blocs west of the security fence, like Gush Etzion, these smaller, outlying settlements are considered less likely to stay under Israeli control in the event of a negotiated peace deal with the Palestinians.

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)

“The study found that there is a particularly high investment in resources in the Judea and Samaria area, specifically in isolated settlements east of the separation fence,” said Roby Nathanson, the center’s director general, according to Ynet. “This is a policy of adding jobs and funds to these settlements, on the expense of cities and communities in the north and south that have been defined as ‘national priority areas.’”

However, the Education Ministry said in a statement released in response to the Macro Center’s study that it actually spends less in the West Bank per student than the national average, and that the class size in West Bank settlements is only slightly smaller (27.2 compared to 28) than the national average.

Nathanson said that the center’s study is based on data “from credible sources,” including reports from the Central Bureau of Statistics, the education, economy and finance ministries, and the Israeli Civil Administration. The data, he said, is from 2013.

In a related development, Haaretz reported that the Jerusalem municipality is spending $3 million to build a large mikvah in the eastern part of the city in a Jewish section within the predominantly Arab neighborhood of Ras al-Amoud. The neighborhood has only 100 Jewish families, but proponents of the new ritual bath argue that it will also serve Jewish families from other eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods.

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. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

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

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount