Outlying settlements part of new priority map

A new map of priority areas in Israel contains dozens of settlements, including outlying communities not part of any settlement bloc.

The map of communities that are part of the priority areas, which includes about 110,000 settlers and about 40 percent of the Israeli Arab population, was released Wednesday night by the Prime Ministers’ Office ahead of a Cabinet discussion scheduled for Sunday.

Communities on the map will be eligible to receive extra government funding for education, housing, infrastructure and employment, according to reports. Settlements on the map include Itamar, Ariel, Betar Illit, Alon Moreh, Tapuah, Bracha and Kiryat Arba, as well as the Jewish neighborhood of Hebron and several in the Jordan Valley.

According to the Jerusalem Post, criteria for being included in the map include security and economic situations, quality of municipal services, number of new immigrants absorbed and distance from the country’s center.