Illegal Israeli settlement tries to claim autonomy from state

IMEMC- In contrast with its claims in recent months that it is part of the state of Israel and should be treated as such, the municipal government of the settlement of Ariel has been shown to have argued the exact opposite, in 2001, in order to avoid paying VAT (value added tax) taxes to the state.

The settlement of Ariel is the largest settlement in the West Bank, consisting of over 50,000 Israeli settlers. It was constructed on stolen Palestinian land far beyond the 1967 armistice line known as the 'Green Line', and its construction, along with all other Israeli settlements, are considered illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of civilian populations onto land occupied by military force.

...The status of Ariel has recently reached the Israeli public due to a cultural center that was recently opened in the settlement, but was boycotted by dozens of prominent Israeli actors and theatre professionals who refused to perform in a settlement constructed on stolen Palestinian land. Read more