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Last week, amid a combined speech by American leader Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, colleague lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I displayed a sign urging the recognition of Palestine. We were forcibly removed from the parliamentary session, exposing the fragile condition of what's often portrayed as the "only democratic state in the Middle East". How can officials speak about Middle East peace while declining to recognize a population deprived of fundamental freedoms and entitlements under decades-long occupation?

The Reality in the West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more apparent than in the controlled West Bank. There, talk of peace seem remote and weak, while the terrifying echoes of settler violence and intimidation persist strongly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinians have been documented since the announcement of the Trump administration's peace proposal in September's end, including physical assaults, stealing of agricultural produce, and burning of cars and property.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The rise in violence by colonists is not coincidental. This time signals the beginning of agricultural harvesting. More than a crucial economic activity, it represents an important communal and cultural moment that demonstrates resilience under occupation. Precisely for these reasons, year after year colonists target Palestinians during this precious period. During the 2024 harvest season, rights groups documented 113 distinct incidents of violence, harassment, preventing harvesting, or destruction to olive trees and crops by Israeli civilians and soldiers, which took place on lands belonging to 51 Palestinian communities, towns, and communities.

Israel's military seemed to have had a greater part in hindering the olive harvest

The human rights group also discovered that "Israel's military seemed to have played a larger part in obstructing the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of instances where entry to farmland was forcibly blocked, troops, border police officers, and settlement civilian security coordinators were actually on site. They either personally stopped Palestinians from accessing and harvesting their property, or neglected to stop settlers who harassed or assaulted them.

Political Support for Settler Activities

This comes as no shock, as the leader of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra minister in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a special military coordination team uprooted personally-owned olive trees of Palestinians, citing lack of permits, but overlooked infractions by an illegal adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the local court ruled to stop all building work in the outpost, which was constructed on lands taken by Israel and illegally transferred to settlers.

Takeover Goals and International Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a tool used by the government to pursue practical annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a procession of thousands of colonists in support of taking over the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We are continuing to establish presence with our feet of the Land of Israel with many settlers, many champions, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this part of the territory ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The colonists and their backers in the parliament are explicit about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the west refrain from meaningful penalties and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was penalized by the UK in the summer, but the effect of the penalty has been minimal. He may not be permitted to go to the UK and visit the London's entertainment district, but he still maintains the governmental authority to take territories in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of penalties, the UK emphasized they apply "in his personal capacity" solely.

International Acknowledgment and Reality

If the UK government acknowledges the reality of colonist aggression and its serious consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still permit goods from settlements to be sold in stores and shops in Britain? If the British leader is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how come he allow the Israeli government to violate its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the acknowledgment an empty tactic to shut down opposition in the United Kingdom, a hollow act only to be realised in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Route Toward Genuine Resolution

A fair resolution must respect the basic entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-determination, independence, and liberty from occupation and siege. Only when every human being's worth between the Jordan River and sea is honored can we truly say reconciliation has been attained.

Genuine peace demands an sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel: this is the sole solution that has agreement among the global community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

The former US president may have inflicted pressure on the Israeli leader to stop the violence, but he probably only did so because the strain of his connection with the isolated government of Netanyahu had become too great. The mass protests throughout the globe for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the unwavering opposition protests inside the country, are the real forces behind this pressure.

It is due to this enormous public campaign that a truce has been signed, the captives freed, and the people of the territory can enjoy protection from annihilation. Following the truce arrangement has been signed, it is vital to continue maintaining this influence. The international community has ignored to the violence in Gaza for many years; it must not make the same error in the occupied territories.