Netanyahu Tours Occupied Golan, Cites Trump. Shocking. Not.
Netanyahu's recent tour of the occupied Golan Heights is painted by some as an impulsive response to Trump's White House welcome of Ahmad al-Sharaa. The implication? Israel's territorial claims and military posturing are merely triggered by external slights, rather than part of a long-standing, well-documented project of annexation. Let's not forget, the Golan has been under Israeli occupation
since 1967, and in 2019, Trump himself controversially recognized Israeli sovereignty over the territory. This 'reaction' narrative conveniently whitewashes decades of strategic expansionism, rebranding it as geopolitical tit-for-tat. One might almost believe that Israeli policy on the Golan wasn't firmly established long before any Trump handshake. How many times have we seen alleged
'provocations' serve as convenient pretexts for consolidating control over disputed territories? This isn't about Trump or Sharaa; it's about continued annexation, dressed up as a justified response to a perceived slight. The consistency is remarkable, if depressing: every incident, no matter how minor, becomes another step towards cementing reality on the ground, regardless of international law.