Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise yesterday to build 851 more housing units in the West Bank got the Americans “angry,” as usual:

“The US position on Israeli settlements is clear – we do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity. We also oppose any effort to legalize settlement outposts,” the official said.

Yada, yada, yada. Been there, heard that. If I had a buck for every time a State Department official condemned settlement activity, I’d have more than Warren Buffet.

And guess what? Israeli officials don’t even bother to hide how they take America for a dupe. Here’s what Ariel Attias (Shas), Minister of Construction and Housing, said to Army Radio this morning:

They condemn. We build.

It’s a pretty simple game once you get the hang of it.