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Last Monday, amid a combined address by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, colleague parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a sign calling for the recognition of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly removed from the parliamentary session, revealing the fragile condition of what's often described as the "sole democracy in the region". How can officials talk about regional peace while refusing to acknowledge a population denied of fundamental liberties and entitlements under long-standing military control?

The Reality in the West Bank

In no place is the deceit more evident than in the occupied West Bank. There, words of reconciliation seem distant and weak, while the frightening sounds of settler violence and intimidation persist loudly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been recorded since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, featuring physical assaults, stealing of agricultural produce, and burning of cars and property.

Systematic Aggression During Harvest Season

The increase in settler terrorism is deliberate. This time marks the beginning of harvest seasons. Beyond a crucial economic event, it constitutes an significant communal and cultural occasion that shows endurance under occupation. Exactly for these causes, year after year settlers attack Palestinians throughout this precious time. During the 2024 harvest season, rights groups recorded 113 separate cases of violence, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or destruction to olive trees and produce by settlers and military personnel, which took place on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian-owned villages, municipalities, and communities.

Israeli security forces seemed to have had a larger role in obstructing the harvesting season

The human rights group also discovered that "Israel's military seemed to have played a greater role in hindering the harvesting season". In approximately 70% of cases where access to lands was violently prevented, soldiers, border police officers, and settlement civilian security coordinators were actually on site. They either directly prevented Palestinians from reaching and gathering their own lands, or failed to prevent colonists who threatened or assaulted them.

Political Support for Settler Activities

This is no shock, as the head of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra minister in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In one village, for example, a special COGAT unit uprooted private olive plants of Palestinians, citing lack of permits, but ignored infractions by an illegal adjacent colonist encampment. Last week, the local court ruled to stop all construction in the encampment, which was constructed on lands taken by Israeli authorities and illegally given to settlers.

Annexation Goals and Global Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, colonist violence is simply a tool used by the administration to pursue de-facto incorporation. Recently, Smotrich headed a march of thousands of colonists in favor of taking over the West Bank. He was reported as saying, "We persist to establish presence with our feet of the territory with many pioneers, numerous heroes, and countless of colonists who reside in this part of the land ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their backers in the parliament are clear about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the west hesitate from meaningful penalties and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was penalized by the UK in June, but the effect of the penalty has been minimal. He may not be permitted to go to the United Kingdom and visit the West End, but he still enjoys the ministerial power to seize territories in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of penalties, the British government highlighted they apply "personally" only.

Global Acknowledgment and Reality

If the UK government acknowledges the truth of colonist aggression and its serious consequences on Palestinian existence, why does it still allow goods from settlements to be marketed in stores and outlets in the UK? If the British leader is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how come he permit the Israeli government to breach its independence with such violent means? Or was the recognition an empty ploy to shut down dissenting voices in the UK, a hollow gesture only to be implemented in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Route Toward Genuine Peace

A fair resolution must honor the basic rights of the Palestinian people for self-determination, sovereignty, and freedom from occupation and blockade. Only when each human being's worth between the Jordan River and sea is respected can we truly say reconciliation has been attained.

True resolution demands an independent Palestinian nation next to Israel: this is the sole formula that enjoises consensus among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have applied pressure on Netanyahu to halt the violence, but he probably only did so because the strain of his relationship with the isolated government of Netanyahu had become too great. The large demonstrations across the world for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the persistent anti-government protests inside the country, are the actual factors behind this influence.

It is due to this massive civil movement that a truce has been signed, the hostages freed, and the residents of Gaza can enjoy protection from destruction. Following the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is crucial to continue applying this influence. The international community has turned a blind eye to the violence in the strip for too long; it must not repeat the same error in the occupied territories.