Thread by @tksshawa

Israel annexed the West Bank in practice long ago. Israel is the sovereign power. The official annexation of the West Bank in name will entail a formalization of facts on the ground that Israel has already been expanding and entrenching with US support for decades. 🧵

https://twitter.com/tparsi/status/1856426026517311920

Of course, as we saw during his first term, Trump will accelerate the formalization of this process. For example, moving the US embassy to Jerusalem & recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Syrian Golan exposed reality for what it is, but it changed little on the ground.

Annexation will put the final nail in the coffin of hopes for a two-state solution (although I & many others have argued for years that it's been long dead). However, again, that won't change much on the ground because of the one-state reality that's been in place for decades.

But the debate re what comes next for Palestinians/the movement is fundamentally changed by the genocide. Many argue annexation makes a struggle for equal rights in a one-state reality inevitable, but how can Palestinians demand equality from those bent on erasing them?

That's a whole other discussion. But over the coming months, if Israel does formalize the de jure annexation of the WB with Trump's support (not necessarily a given considering how it might upend his other priorities), it will be a continuation of a process already underway.

So don't let anyone tell you this is all "thanks to Trump." Because call it annexation, occupation, whatever you want, Palestinians live under Israeli control either way. Trump just isn't pretending that the US is an honest mediator, he's not hiding US complicity, he exposes it.

The more important question will be now that there's no hiding the US role in Israel's occupation/genocide, will the international community act to reign Israel in? For example, will Europe or Arab leaders try to fill the role of mediators? Will they sanction Israel?

Or will they be content to watch Israel continue carrying out its genocide in Gaza to its logical conclusion in the rest of Palestine?