Israel diverts Palestinian citizens’ development funds to police

The Israeli government has approved the transfer of funds from civil development programmes for Palestinian citizens of the country to the police and the internal intelligence agency, the Shin Bet.

The move involves around 220 million shekels ($68.6m) and was approved on Sunday.

The decision followed a proposal by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Social Equality Minister May Golan.

The funds will be redirected to what the government described as enhancing law enforcement, intelligence capabilities and operational activity within the Palestinian community in Israel.

The previous government originally allocated the money for social programmes aimed at Palestinian citizens of Israel, designed to reduce economic and social gaps.

The decision comes amid a growing crisis of deadly crime in Palestinian communities.

Palestinian citizens have long accused the police and Shin Bet of neglecting - and in some cases enabling - the problem. Israeli authorities deny the accusations.

Crime-related deaths have reached 244 so far in 2025, according to local media, compared with around 230 last year.

'The cut is expected to severely harm efforts to deal with the root causes of the expanding crime in Arab society'

- The Abraham Initiatives, NGO

The now-deducted budget had been allocated to educational, cultural, sports and youth programmes, as well as the development of local authorities, as part of efforts to tackle high crime rates.

Minister Golan, from the ruling Likud party, said the reallocation would support a “groundbreaking programme” by law enforcement to address the issue of crime.

“Sports and cultural facilities will not help, not building a roundabout and not handing out pizzas at the community centre,” she said after the decision.

Ben Gvir described the move as an important step towards implementing “zero tolerance towards criminals”.

'Like a thief'

Palestinian citizens dismissed the ministers’ claims, criticising the reallocation as political and questioning its effectiveness.

Talal al-Qrinawi, mayor of Rahat, told Arab48 the decision is “purely political and unjustified”.

“The police and Shin Bet already have sufficient budgets that would enable them - if there is the will - to combat crime and violence without infringing on citizens’ basic rights.” 

Lawyer and human rights activist Abeer Baker warned that the decision threatens long-term investment in community education, childcare and social programmes.

“Crime cannot be addressed solely through immediate deterrence; it requires deep intervention through preventive and rehabilitative programmes,” she told Arab48.

The Abraham Initiatives, a Jewish and Palestinian NGO supporting the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel, also condemned the move.

“Like a thief in the night, in a move devoid of any logic, the government approved the cutting of hundreds of millions of shekels from the five-year plan for the development of Arab society,” it said, according to Ynet.

“The cut is expected to severely harm efforts to deal with the root causes of the expanding crime in Arab society.”

The group added that it was considering petitioning the High Court of Justice against the decision.