Veneto opposition questions grants to group accused of supporting West Bank settlements

The Veneto region in northern Italy awarded €16,000 in public grants to Christians for Israel in 2023 and 2024.

The Padua-based association received the money for a historical exhibition and another cultural project under a law addressing antisemitism and preserving Holocaust memory.

Opposition lawmakers from the Democratic Party and the Greens and Left Alliance say the group may be linked to donations supporting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The association’s website says it supports Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, another name for the West Bank, and an investigation cited by the article said donations could be directed to settlement projects.

The opposition has not established that the regional grants themselves went to settlements, but is asking the regional government to explain its checks before awarding the money.

They also want clearer rules to exclude groups that channel funds to settlements.

The 2026 grant application period has closed, and lawmakers want checks completed before the next funding rankings are published.