MK David Biton
MK David BitonMiriam Alster / Flash 90

The Knesset Committee is expected to discuss in the coming weeks the government's budget for the next fiscal year, and one MK is pushing for increased funding to Judea and Samaria. 

Committee chairman David Biton (Likud) announced on Tuesday night that he will advance a proposal to prioritize funding for communities in Israel's biblical heartland. 

The initative comes in response to the European Parliament's decision to label products in the European market that were made in so-called Judean and Samarian "settlements."

"It is the duty of Israel's parliament to defend its residents," Biton asserted. "We must convey the message to Europeans that boycotts are not the way to bring about an agreement between us and the Palestinians."

"The European move is rife with hatred and proves how unfamiliar they are with the area in which we live and its dynamics."

According to Biton, every move against Israel reinforces extremists on the Palestinian side, further preventing the possibility of an agreement or any dialogue at all. 

"Israeli industry in Judea and Samaria supports thousands of Palestinian families the Palestinian Authority is unable to sustain thanks to government corruption," he added.