West Bank Blood Money: Settler Violence Surges as US Tax Dollars Flow
Mohammad al-Malhi, a Palestinian man, was shot and killed by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank on what local authorities described as his land. This incident marks the seventh Palestinian fatality directly attributed to settler violence since the recent escalation of aggression, pushing the already brutal toll higher. The BBC, in its reporting, states al-Malhi was "the seventh
Palestinian killed by a settler in a surge of violence since the start of the war with Iran." This framing neglects the continuous, decades-long pattern of settler violence, treating the current surge as a new phenomenon rather than an intensification of an existing, US-backed colonial project. It also conveniently sidesteps the US role in arming and funding these very settlers. What the BBC omits
is the direct financial pipeline from American evangelical groups and conservative organizations straight into the pockets of these West Bank settlers, many of whom are dual US citizens. Billions in US taxpayer dollars, funneled through various mechanisms, support Israel's military occupation, a significant portion of which indirectly, and often directly, underwrites the infrastructure and
security apparatus protecting illegal settlements. For instance, the US provides over $3.8 billion annually in military aid to Israel, money that directly frees up Israeli state funds for projects in the settlements. These settlements, illegal under international law, receive substantial tax-deductible donations from American charities, creating a financial ecosystem that incentivizes and sustains