As Israeli lawmakers voted on the largest budget in their nation’s history from a fortified bunker early on Monday, one of the main aims of the $271bn spending bill became clear: a massive financial injection into extreme right-wing projects that analysts say will fundamentally alter the occupied West Bank.Citing “national security” amid the ongoing war with Iran, the ruling coalition has bypassed legal frameworks to direct billions towards ideological goals, including supporting Israeli settlers establishing outposts and settlements in the West Bank, analysts say.While the record defence allocation of $45.8bn has dominated headlines, the budget’s fine print also reveals a calculated shift towards entrenching the occupation and empowering the far-right elements of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a map showing a settlement project during a news conference near the settlement of Maale Adumim, in the occupied West Bank, on August 14, 2025 [Ohad Zwigenberg/AP]Financing the far right and the occupationA key pillar of this strategy is the allocation of 400 million shekels ($129.5m) to the Ministry of Settlement and National Missions, which is the body that ultimately authorises illegal Jewish-only settlements and outposts on Palestinian land – usually after they have gone up.Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is a settler himself – he and his settler movement believe they are biblically entitled to the land of the West Bank – was granted sweeping administrative powers over the occupied territory in 2023. He has been open about his opposition to any form of two-state solution, stating recently: “On the gr …
