Regavim (NGO)

Regavim (רגבים) is a pro-settler Israeli NGO that monitors and pursues legal action in the Israeli court system against any construction lacking Israeli permits undertaken by Palestinians or Bedouins in Israel and in the West Bank.[1] It describes itself as "a public movement dedicated to the protection of Israel’s national lands and resources" and aims to "[restore] the Zionist vision to its primary role in the Israeli policy process".[2]

It was founded in 2006 by Yehuda Eliahu and Bezalel Smotrich[3][4] as "response to a Supreme Court case against the illegal outpost of Harasha in Samaria" initiated by Peace Now in 2005.[4]

Regavim focuses most intensely on construction work in the Galilee, Negev, and the West Bank.[5] Regavim's objectives converge with those of Israeli settlers, with whom the group maintains close institutional ties.[6] Regavim is financed by public funds from West Bank local settlement councils and from the settler organization Amana.

  1. ^ Ariel David (June 19, 2016). "Why is an Israeli pro-settler group campaigning for Brexit?". Haaretz. partially funded by local authorities in Israel. According to a Haaretz investigation published in January, Regavim does receive funds from local Israeli institutions in addition to private donations. Like all Israeli NGOs, Regavim must submit its yearly financial statements to Israel's registrar of nonprofit organizations. A review of these reports showed that from 2006 to 2014, the group received nearly 20 million shekels (around $5.1 million at current exchange rates) in donations and other financial support, most of it from public funds. According to the reports, between 2010 and 2014 Regavim received nearly 11 million shekels from various government bodies — primarily local councils, which in turn receive state funding.
  2. ^ "About Us - Regavim". Regavim. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  3. ^ Charlotte Alfred; Abdul-Hakim Salah (May 9, 2012). "Settler group patrols West Bank for demolition targets". Ma'an News Agency.
  4. ^ a b Miller, Elhanan (May 1, 2015). "Tracking illegal Arab construction, one EU-funded house at a time". The Times of Israel. Retrieved August 26, 2015. Regavim, the right-wing equivalent of Peace Now, says Europe is using an impoverished Bedouin population to create political facts on the ground... Regavim – Israel Independence Fund was founded in 2006 by newly elected Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich and Yehuda Eliyahu in response to a September 2005 Supreme Court case brought by Peace Now against the illegal outpost of Harasha in Samaria.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Traiman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Nicola Perugini; Kareem Rabie (2012). "Human Right to the Colony". In Tammaso Sbriccoli; Stefano Jacoviello (eds.). Shifting Borders: European Perspectives on Creolisation. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 9781443844420.