Yair Golan vows not to fund settlements if he comes to power

The leader of the left-wing Democrats party, Yair Golan, said Monday that in the event that his party would form a future government, it would cut off funding to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The remarks, made during an interview with Army Radio, drew condemnation from his political ally Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, who advised him to retract them, which he partially did.

“If we gain power, we will not transfer money to the settlements; the time has come to lay down a new set of priorities in Israel,” Golan said of his party during the radio interview.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has authority over the settlements, scorned Golan in a post to X, saying that as far as Golan is concerned, the residents of the West Bank “are not working citizens. For no reason, they enlisted [in the army] and died in this war in numbers out of proportion to some parts of the population.”

Smotrich was referring to the Gaza war, which ended with a ceasefire last October. In the settlements community, there is generally a strong ethos to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, and in particular, in combat units.

Lapid remarked that Golan “should take it back, the settlers are Israeli citizens.”

However, opposition Labor Party MK Gilad Kariv backed Golan and appeared to criticize Lapid, saying that while the former was “saying the truth,” there are “politicians who are worrying about table manners and presenting the simple truth as something radical.”

The current coalition has transferred NIS 1 billion ($322 million) to the settlements, Kariv asserted, “money that comes at the expense of cultural services for every Israeli citizen, at the expense of increasing the investment in the Negev and Galilee, at the expense of reducing disparities in Israeli society.”

Asked by the media later in the day about his comments, Golan clarified that he was referring to illegal outposts and unauthorized settlement activity.

“The settlement blocs are part of Israel,” he said after leading a faction meeting in the Knesset. “They will be, because there is no other possibility. We will strengthen settlements along the border, but there will be no illegal activity.”

The international community — with the notable exception of the United States under President Donald Trump — considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Israel, which conquered the area in the 1967 Six Day War, disputes that position, citing historic ties to the region and a security imperative in holding on to it.

The United Nations said in December that the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank had reached its highest level since at least 2017.

Israel’s next elections are set to be held in October 2026.