The Gush Etzion Regional Council in Judea has signed an agreement with Israel’s Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry that aims to provide assistance to local authorities that are at the center of international delegitimization and boycott campaigns, the ministry said on Thursday.
Ministry director-general Avi Cohen-Scali, together with the ministry’s senior leadership, paid a visit to the Gush Etzion area south of Jerusalem on the previous day to hear about the many challenges facing area residents.
The signing with Gush Etzion was a part of a wider agreement signed with 11 other local authorities in Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights, according to the ministry.
The framework includes a budget exceeding 10 million shekels ($3.3 million) “to provide these authorities with comprehensive support in the daily struggle they face,” Cohen-Scali was quoted in the statement as saying.
“Boycotts are a national problem, and the ministry under my leadership will continue to support these authorities by providing them with the tools to make their voices heard and to expose the truth,” said Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli.
Yaron Rosenthal, head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, said that over the coming year, the ministry together with Gush Etzion will launch “a significant joint program that will serve as a counterweight to antisemitic forces in Israel and around the world.”
The 12 local authorities that have signed onto the program are Samaria Regional Council, Binyamin Regional Council, Hebron, Ma’ale Adumim, Elkana, Megilot Dead Sea Regional Council, Beit El, Gush Etzion Regional Council, Mount Hebron Regional Council, Golan Regional Council, Kiryat Arba Local Council, and Katzrin Local Council.
