Haaretz, Feb. 2, 2017

the settlers are his pets, Amona is above the law and he already hastened to promise to build for its 40 families, who for 20 years knowingly robbed private Palestinian land, a new settlement. Whatever the cost. Money is no object when we’re dealing with the precious settlers.

[...] The prime minister and defense minister have recently approved building thousands of housing units throughout the West Bank, most of them in the settlement blocs.

Officials say that without a nod from the White House, Netanyahu wouldn’t have dared to approve this wave of construction, or to commit to building a new settlement for the first time in about 25 years, before meeting U.S. President Donald Trump.

If Netanyahu believes this will satisfy the settlers, he’s in for a bitter disappointment. They are far beyond the stage of mere construction. They are demanding annexation and Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank, as Bennett said in the Knesset on Wednesday.

After he returns from his visit with Trump, they will serve Netanyahu with a pile of checks to sign and he won’t be able to call for restraint in the name of some international pressure.

The obscene bill legalizing land confiscation and illegal outposts is expected to pass in the Knesset next week with the support of the prime minister, who warned repeatedly of the legislation’s legal and international repercussions. That too won’t satiate Bibi and Bennett’s constituency. The settlers always deserve more and always, praise God, there’s someone who pays.