Inside the Machine of Annexation
Israel tightens its noose around the West Bank.
In this week’s feature for Paid Subscribers, I unpack a moment of extraordinary candor from inside the occupation: an IDF officer telling Israel’s public broadcaster, in plain language, how settlers, the military, and the government work hand in glove to steal Palestinian land. I also uncovered a trove of new information about the man I believe coordinated the October 19 settler attack on Turmus’ayya. And to round it out, I break down the week’s surreal news highlights, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and friends swapping their yellow hostage ribbons for a conspicuously similar-looking gold noose, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s farcical hearing on “Understanding Judea and Samaria.”
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Before I get into it, I want to quickly note the horrific news I woke up to this morning about a shooting massacre at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach. I considered holding off on sending this piece, but decided there’s no reason to wait—if anything, the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank tends to accelerate in moments like these.
I’m going to resist the urge to fire off a take before we have a clear picture of who is responsible, or before I’ve had time to fully reflect. Unfortunately, Netanyahu showed no such restraint, wasting no time at all in blaming the shooting on the Australian government’s support for a Palestinian state.
A depraved response to a depraved act, which has nothing to do with the real struggle for Palestinian freedom. More on this later.