Occupation government adopts exceptional funding path to support academic settlement

Hebrew press data revealed that a research grant program established by the Israeli occupation government to support academic institutions in settlements has turned into an exceptional funding channel for the settlement Ariel University, which received 32.2 million shekels from the program's budget.

Hebrew press data, published by Haaretz, revealed that a research grant program established by the Israeli occupation government to support academic institutions in settlements has turned into an exceptional funding channel for the settlement Ariel University, built on occupied West Bank land. The university received over 32.2 million shekels (about $8.7 million) during 2024 and 2025, equivalent to 80.7% of the total budget of the Parallel Track program of the Israeli Ministry of Science, which stands at 39.98 million shekels. The program targets only three settlement institutions under the pretext of compensating them for being excluded from international cooperation programs. The data showed a wide gap in evaluation criteria and project acceptance rates, with 33 out of 39 research proposals submitted by the university receiving funding in 2025, an acceptance rate of 85%, compared to an average of no more than 50% in other ministry programs. The program's budget saw a massive jump from 600,000 shekels at its launch in 2022 to 20 million shekels annually by a government decision in April 2024. The university also receives an additional compensation of 6 million shekels annually from the Council for Higher Education.