Premier Yitzhak Shamir told irate Jewish settlers today that settlement activity on the West Bank will face budget cuts, just like activities in Israel proper, because of the severe economic situation.
Shamir met with members of the Council of Settlers in Judaea and Samaria who complained bitterly over what they consider inadequate funding for new settlements in the territory. Benny Katzover and Yisrael Harel, two of the more militant settler leaders, demanded greater resources for new settlements before the July 23 elections.
Shamir sought to place the settlements within the broad framework of government spending which must be cut back in compliance with Finance Minister Yigal Cohen-Orgad’s austerity economic program. Cohen-Orgad, who is building a home for himself in Ariel on the West Bank, strongly supported the Prime Minister. The settlements budget cannot escape the pruning knife, he said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
