KKL-JNF terminates West Bank outpost funding citing "unwitting" involvement in Palestinian dispossession

JNF-KKL Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky announces an end to most West Bank program funding and land buys, admitting the group unwittingly helped expel Palestinians.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 28, 2026, 1:59 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Times of Israel and Haaretz

A Unanimous Pivot Against Settlement Expansion Tools

The executive committee of KKL-JNF has reached a unanimous decision to dismantle its financial support for various programs operating within the West Bank, marking a radical shift in the organization’s operational strategy. This decision follows an internal review which revealed that funding ostensibly designated for educational programs was being funneled into "farming outposts" designed to seize land from local Palestinian communities. Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky, who assumed leadership of the organization in January 2026, expressed deep regret that the group's resources had been utilized to facilitate dispossession under the guise of social welfare for at-risk Israeli youth.

Distancing from Far-Right Ministerial Policies

The move serves as a direct rebuke to the settlement expansion strategies championed by far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strock. Ostrinsky explicitly named the Religious Zionism party leaders, stating that KKL-JNF would no longer be a participant in the establishment of outposts used to expand the Israeli settler grip on the territory at the expense of Palestinian residents. While the board had temporarily halted funding last year amid mounting reports of settler violence originating from these farming outposts, the new resolution makes the cessation permanent for the vast majority of these projects.

Termination of West Bank Land Purchases

In addition to cutting program funding, KKL-JNF has committed to ending the purchase of lands within the West Bank. This practice has long exposed the organization to international and domestic criticism, with detractors arguing that the group was actively participating in the displacement of Palestinian landowners. By exiting the land-acquisition market in the West Bank, Ostrinsky aims to refocus the organization on its historical mandates and insulate it from the legal and ethical liabilities associated with the ongoing territorial disputes in the region.