RAMALLAH _ Palestine News Network
American Right-wing evangelical organizations, which have been successful for over 10 years, have raised funds of some $65 million to finance projects within settlements in the West Bank, the Hebrew daily Ha´aretz reported Sunday.
According to the paper, through an investigation showing that reports were handed over to the US tax authority, it showed that 11 evangelical organizations had made these payments as donations to fund projects within the settlements.
The investigation found that these organizations were sending volunteers to settlements in the West Bank. Noting that one of these organizations called "Jubilee " sends volunteers to the Har Bracha settlement near Nablus, during the past 10 years it sent 1,700 volunteers to the settlement, set up a "campus " in the settlement and hosts journalists and other personalities to lecture.
According to the paper, Internal Security Minister Gilad Ardan, as Minister of Strategic Affairs, decided to transfer 16,000 dollars a year to the organization because of its pro-Israel media activities in America.
According to the paper, it is not known how much financial support is given to settlements by those organizations that do not provide any detailed reports on their donations because they are non-profit organizations, and because support includes thousands of evangelical volunteers in the settlements through actions such as harvesting grapes, olives and others.
According to the newspaper, the Ariel settlement receives the largest amount of donations. Noting that the settlement received $8 million in 2008 to establish a sports zone, a million dollars was donated to the Efrat settlement to establish a Jewish-Christian center.
Aharon Katsov, founder of Israel´s Heart association, said they are working to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for settlement projects. He noted that these donations are made by Jews and Christians in America and other countries.
