Peace Now's "Settling in Your Pocket" campaign: Jerusalem-Tel Aviv vs. Jerusalem-Talmon Settlement - same distance, more than twice the price.
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed Monday that the state subsidizes bus tickets within West Bank settlements, causing them to be cheaper than tickets for rides within the Green Line.
IOA Editor: Transportation options and costs are an integral part of household location decisions. Therefore, public transportation subsidies to Jewish residents of illegal West Bank settlements, which reduce the cost of living in the West Bank compared to pre-1967 Israel, constitute yet another incentive for Israelis to become settlers.
Please note: The Haaretz English version text is poorly translated and misstates the facts: The much lower bus fares are not “within West Bank settlements” but are for public transport services to and from settlements, including travel between cities in Israel proper and West Bank settlements.
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz – 26 July 2011
www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-minister-admits-state-subsidizes-public-transportation-for-settlers-1.375420
As Israelis protest high cost of living, Transportation Minister admits settlers enjoy reduced bus fares to encourage use of armored buses.
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed Monday that the state subsidizes bus tickets within West Bank settlements, causing them to be cheaper than tickets for rides within the Green Line.
According to Katz, the move was intended to incentivize settlers to use armor-protected public transportation within the West Bank, which would reduce state spending on stationing military and security escorts for non-armored private vehicles. Katz also stated that the reduction of prices has increased use of public transportation by nearly 80% in the last decade.
Zahava Galon (Meretz), who questioned Katz regarding the ticket prices during Monday’s Knesset plenum, presented evidence that showed the vast discrepancy in the prices. According to Galon, a bus ride from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv (60 kilometer distance) costs approximately 20 NIS, while an equidistant ride from Jerusalem to the settlement of Talmon costs around 8.6 NIS.
Galon stated that the current calm in the territories does not justify the subsidizing of bus tickets, and that many of the bus companies do not even use even use armored vehicles.
