War is an ugly but inescapable part of human life and history. There have always been such conflicts and there likely always will be. So, while it is, without a doubt an unfortunate event, the Middle East War that would ultimately invite Israel into Palestine is only one of many such occurrences.

However, it’s been decades since the war. Now, there’s a slightly different but equally pressing problem that needs attention. At this time, under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel is covertly and overtly intent on wresting the West Bank, a land that they initially annexed during the war from Palestine.

Now, it’s t an open secret that the United States of America and the State of Israel have a close relationship. This fact is clearly evidenced in the public positions that both sides take when discussing the affairs of the other as well as the consistent flow of financial support from the U.S. to Israel. However, with the dynamics of Israel’s actions on the West Bank such as it is, there’s arguably no better time to discuss the funding trajectory of the U.S. government where Israel is concerned.

At this time, the big question is, would it be better for the U.S. government to decrease funding for Israel if there is a continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank?

Well, there’s only one right answer to this question, and that’s a resounding “Yes!”

Regardless of the motivation, a nation like the United States of America genuinely has no place supporting annexation, no matter what guise it might be presented under. In the same vein, whoever is doing the annexing shouldn’t jaundice the opinion of the country's leadership as to who is right and who is wrong in this conflict.

There are several reasons that make the manner of involvement of the United States in this matter bad, at best, and downright shameful, at worst.

Let’s start with the fact that, right from the very beginning, the very presence of Israel in the West Bank is utterly wrong. According to the 1949 Geneva Convention – an agreement that Israel duly acknowledged and signed – it is unlawful for a country to use military might to occupy another country.

And while the nation of Israel will split hairs on the nature of their invasion by arguing that the West Bank isn’t occupied territory but rather “disputed territory”, the fact remains that, by continuing to provide funding to Israel, the United States has become complicit in this invasion.

The irony of the U.S. government’s stance on this issue is made abundantly evident when you consider the nation’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war. Stripped to the bare bones, the conflict between Israel and Palestine isn’t any different. Yet, the American government has thrown its weight behind the little guy in the Russia-Ukraine war.

So, what makes this situation different? Is it because it’s an ally that is the aggressor this time around?

For a better depiction of just how bad the funding of Israel by the U.S. is here, we only need to remember that, not only is the United States bolstering Israel’s reserves but they are also helping to effectively terrorize Palestine.

The settler movement is highly detrimental to the well-being and sovereignty of Palestine, no matter how you look at it.

This is because this initiative isn’t only taking away land mass that is guaranteed to prove invaluable to Palestine in the not-too-distant future but it is also seriously hampering the livelihoods of natives of the land. Many Palestinians have farmland spread across the West Bank. The presence of these settlements makes it more difficult and stressful for most of these farmers to access this resource.

One thing that complicates the entire affair even more is that the roads that Israel has built across the West Bank are closed off to Palestinians. This means that travel around the region has been made significantly more complex and harrowing. It also doesn’t help that there are more than a few violent settlers who don’t hesitate or miss an opportunity to harass or even violently attack Palestinians.

Finally, let us consider the fact that the more funds and resources are readily available for Israel’s expansion efforts, the less inclined the nation will be to put in any real effort to come to a peaceful conclusion to the conflict. The implication of this is that the United States government is effectively promoting the escalation of the unrest in the West Bank.

It doesn’t need to be said that this can’t be allowed to continue.

Regardless of what allegiance the United States might have to Israel and vice versa, the fact remains that a line has to be drawn at some point. Otherwise, the country cannot continue to claim plausible deniability on the entire issue.

Thankfully, the solution is simple. If Israel remains intent on escalating the West Bank settler movement, then the U.S. has no choice but to reduce its funding.

We owe at least that much to the people of Palestine.