US 'Says No' to Annexation, Funds It Anyway
The idea that a US 'no' meaningfully halts Israeli expansion in the West Bank is quaint, bordering on delusional, for anyone paying attention. While the Biden administration may issue polite demurrers, the flow of US taxpayer dollars, $3.8 billion annually in military aid according to the Congressional Research Service, enables the very occupation that makes annexation feasible. For decades,
successive Israeli governments, including Netanyahu's current far-right coalition, have systematically built settlements, deemed illegal under international law, and expropriated Palestinian land, all while benefiting from unwavering US diplomatic cover at the UN. This isn't a new act. Netanyahu has been declaring unilateral annexation plans for years, as far back as 1999, consistently moving
forward regardless of international outcry. The US 'veto' here appears to be nothing more than a carefully orchestrated theatrical pause, a public wink before another chunk of Palestinian land disappears. How many times can a global superpower 'forbid' an action it simultaneously bankrolls and shields?