Housing Minister Uri Ariel
Photo: Moti Kimchi
Minister Ariel: State must fund settlement construction
Habayit Hayehudi member meets with Netanyahu, stresses that party will not support budget if cuts to West Bank settlements are presented
Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Tuesday that if the 2013 budget does not allocate funds to construction of settlements in the West Bank, the budget will not win the approval of Ariel's Habayit Hayehudi
party.
Ariel said that failure to bankroll the settlement projects that were agreed upon after the Palestinian's unilateral move at the 2012 UNGA would be seen by his party as going back on promises "and we will oppose the approval of the budget until a solution to the promised funding is found."
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Sources affiliated with the treasury refused to address Ariel's threat, but implied that his announcements are meant to signal settlers that Habayit Hayehudi is fighting for settlement funding.
Habayit Hayehudi members have noted to have received indication that funding to settlement construction may indeed be cut.
"We've clarified our stance to the prime minister to make sure that those budgets are safe," said Habayit Hayehudi member.
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