Israel’s Security Cabinet quietly approved approximately NIS 1.3 billion last month to fund the establishment of new communities in Yehuda and Shomron, with the decision kept under wraps until now in order to avoid embarrassing the U.S. administration, according to Israeli reports.

The funding was approved as part of a proposal submitted by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, and Settlement and National Missions Minister Orit Strock.

The budget will be used to establish pioneer neighborhoods in dozens of new communities approved by the Security Cabinet during the current government’s tenure, while also funding infrastructure needed to allow families to begin moving in as permanent development work continues.

The decision was formulated by the Prime Minister’s Office and will be implemented through the Settlement and National Missions Ministry together with the Housing and Construction Ministry. It follows a series of recent government decisions allocating funding for planning, roads, and security infrastructure for the new communities.

Smotrich said the goal is to ensure that the government’s decisions to authorize and establish the communities “do not remain on paper, but become reality on the ground.” He added that the government continues to allocate funding for roads, infrastructure, public buildings, and temporary housing.

Housing and Construction Minister Chaim Katz said the government’s approval marks the transition from planning to implementation.

“Following the decision to establish the communities, we are now moving to the execution stage,” Katz said. “This budget will allow us to begin development, build pioneer neighborhoods, and lay the infrastructure needed before families move in. We will work to remove obstacles and accelerate construction so these new communities quickly become a reality.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)