An investigation by the New York Times has found that the US Treasury Department is helping sustain Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank by granting tax breaks on donations to support them. Over the past decade, at least forty American nonprofit groups have distributed more than $200 million in tax-deductible gifts to help expand the settlements. The Times reports the tax-deductible gifts go mostly to schools, synagogues and recreation centers, but they have also paid for guard dogs, bulletproof vests and rifle scopes for settlers.