US Condemns Ramming in South China Sea, Ignores Allies' West Bank Demolitions
China's Coast Guard rammed and water-cannoned a Philippine vessel near Thitu island, an act the AP frames as the 'latest flare-up' in the South China Sea. This 2025 event, (yes, 2025, according to the AP's own timestamp), will undoubtedly be met with swift US condemnation, calls for international law, and strategic 'freedom of navigation' patrols. Funny how the same outrage dissipates when the
aggressor is a preferred partner—like, say, Israel, which demolished 86 Palestinian structures in the West Bank's Area C just last month, displacing 166 people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The US State Department's response? A mild 'concern' post-facto, and no ramming accusations. It seems some territorial disputes are less 'disputed' and more
'sanctioned,' especially when they involve the forceful removal of a population from land. One might wonder if the US commitment to international norms is determined less by the act itself and more by who’s committing it, and whether their lobby budget can afford an intervention from AIPAC (which, incidentally, spent over $4.5 million lobbying Congress in 2023, according to OpenSecrets.org).
Perhaps China just needs to find a better PR firm, or a more generous set of PACs.