US Congress 'Shocked' Illegal Settlements Still Illegal
Mainstream media consistently frames the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements as a new, evolving 'problem.' But the 'consequences' have been clear for 57 years: land theft, displacement, and the systematic dismantling of any viable future Palestinian state, all while the US government provides billions in aid. From George H.W. Bush withholding loan guarantees over settlements in 1991, to
Biden's 'deep concern' today, the pattern is consistent—empty words followed by open checkbooks. In 2023 alone, the US sent over $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel, despite these 'consequences' being well-documented by its own State Department, and organizations like B'Tselem. One might wonder if the 'consequences' are only truly felt in Washington when a few more acres get fenced off, thereby
slightly altering the landscape for the annual 'two-state solution' photo-op. Meanwhile, members of Congress who receive substantial campaign donations from groups like AIPAC—which lobbied fiercely against any restrictions on aid to Israel—continue to vote for the very funding that underwrites this expansion. What's the consequence of a US politician taking, say, $450,000 from AIPAC in an election
cycle, then doing nothing to halt settlement growth? For Palestinians, it’s loss of land; for the politician, it's reelection and prime-time platitudes.