In the occupied Palestinian territories, "Zionist settlements" are viewed as a violation of international law not only by the United States and the Western world but, you know, it's not like anyone is really doing anything about it. The Western stance on this, much like their stance on the "Two-State solution," remains a collection of toothless statements. So, there are about 700,000 illegal settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem now – a significant upgrade from the approximately 200,000 just two years ago. The Peace Now, a civil society organization founded by Jews opposing settlements back in 1978, reported plans for new settlements in East Jerusalem and the opening of new roads and outposts in the West Bank on its Tel Aviv-based website. Meanwhile, reports in the "Haaretz" newspaper suggest that settlers are seizing the opportunity presented by the Gaza conflict to kick Palestinians out of their lands and grab new territories in the West Bank. Oh, and did I mention that in the last year alone, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and armed settlers in the West Bank has reached nearly 500? Biden, in his profound wisdom, decided to highlight the issue in a piece for the "Washington Post" on November 18, stating, "I emphasized to Israeli leaders the need to end extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and to hold those perpetrating this violence accountable. The U.S. is ready to take our own steps, including visa bans on extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank."     But wait, there's more! In a note sent to the "State" and "Treasury" departments, Biden apparently urged them to prepare visa bans and sanctions for settlers attacking and displacing Palestinians in the West Bank. The note hinted at sanctions for individuals or entities involved in actions constituting human rights violations or abuses, significantly impeding efforts towards a two-state solution or disrupting such efforts. So, you know, real action there. Even the European Union, along with countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, Norway, Switzerland, and the cool kids' club, has been warning Israel about its settlements. In a joint statement, they expressed concern about Israel's failure to effectively protect Palestinians and prosecute extremist settlers, creating an environment where settler violence is almost unpunished. Of course, Netanyahu is probably just using those warnings to line his birdcage.   These statements conveniently overlook the fact that the Israeli government actively encourages illegal settlements, arms settlers, and protects them. Itamar Ben Gvir, the National Security Minister, is one of Israel's most extreme annexationists, living in an illegal settlement near the occupied city of Hebron. In February 2023, an article in the "Washington Post" explored how Gvir, a prominent settler, became a powerful Israeli minister. Notably, he was spotted distributing American-made assault rifles to settlers in late October.     But hey, here's a fun fact the Biden administration seems to overlook: a significant number of these Zionist settlers are citizens of the U.S. and other Western countries. People and organizations in the U.S., among other places, are financing Jewish migration to Israel, particularly to expand these illegal settlements. A 2017 article in the Jerusalem-based "Times of Israel" estimated that around 200,000 U.S. citizens lived in Israel, with over 60,000 residing in illegal settlements in the West Bank, constituting about 15% of all Zionist settlers. So, we've got tens of thousands of U.S. citizens living in what the U.S. officially considers "illegal" settlements. They're technically occupiers, but hey, who needs concrete measures from the Biden administration on this issue? Americans and Europeans are great at talking about it, while the number of occupiers keeps rapidly increasing. The more this contradiction continues, the more blood will be on their hands. But who's keeping track, right?