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Last Monday, amid a combined address by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, colleague lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I displayed a sign urging the acknowledgment of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly removed from the legislative assembly, exposing the weak state of what's frequently portrayed as the "sole democratic state in the Middle East". How can officials speak about Middle East peace while refusing to acknowledge a people denied of fundamental liberties and rights under long-standing military control?

The Reality in the Occupied West Bank

In no place is the deceit more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, words of reconciliation seem remote and weak, while the frightening echoes of settler violence and terror continue strongly. Over 30 occurrences of settler aggression against Palestinians have been recorded since the unveiling of the US peace proposal in September's end, including physical assaults, theft of agricultural produce, and burning of vehicles and belongings.

Systematic Aggression During Agricultural Period

The rise in settler terrorism is not coincidental. This period marks the beginning of harvest seasons. Beyond a vital economic event, it constitutes an important communal and national moment that shows endurance under military rule. Exactly for these causes, annually colonists target Palestinians during this precious time. During the 2024 harvest period, rights groups documented 113 separate cases of aggression, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive trees and produce involving Israeli civilians and soldiers, which occurred on territories owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, municipalities, and communities.

Israel's military appeared to have had a larger part in obstructing the olive harvest

Yesh Din also found that "Israel's military appeared to have had a larger part in obstructing the harvesting season". In about 70% of instances where entry to lands was forcibly blocked, troops, border police officers, and settler civilian security coordinators were actually on site. They either directly prevented Palestinians from accessing and gathering their own lands, or failed to prevent settlers who harassed or attacked them.

Government Support for Settler Activities

This comes as no shock, as the leader of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an additional official in the Ministry of Defence responsible for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a special COGAT unit removed personally-owned olive plants of Palestinians, citing missing documentation, but overlooked infractions by an unauthorized adjacent colonist encampment. Last week, the local court decided to stop all building work in the outpost, which was built on lands seized by Israel and unlawfully given to settlers.

Annexation Ambitions and Global Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, colonist violence is simply a instrument used by the government to pursue practical incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a march of thousands of settlers in support of taking over the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We persist to establish presence with our feet of the Land of Israel with numerous pioneers, numerous heroes, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this part of the territory ... we need to normalize it and make it eternal."

The colonists and their backers in the parliament are explicit about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the Western nations refrain from meaningful sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in the summer, but the impact of the sanction has been minimal. He may not be permitted to go to the UK and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still enjoys the governmental authority to seize territories in the West Bank. Even in the announcement of penalties, the British government emphasized they take place "personally" only.

International Recognition and Actual Situation

If the British administration acknowledges the truth of colonist aggression and its grave implications on Palestinian life, why does it still allow settlement produce to be sold in markets and shops in the UK? If Starmer is serious about recognition of Palestine as a state, how can he permit the Israeli government to breach its independence with such violent means? Or was the recognition an hollow ploy to silence dissenting voices in the United Kingdom, a hollow act only to be implemented in the rebranding of some maps?

Pathway to Genuine Peace

A just resolution must honor the fundamental rights of the Palestinian population for self-recognition, independence, and freedom from military occupation and blockade. Only when every person's worth between the river and sea is honored can we genuinely declare peace has been achieved.

Genuine resolution requires an independent Palestinian state next to the Israeli state: this is the only formula that enjoises agreement among the global community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace advocates.

The former US president may have inflicted influence on the Israeli leader to stop the genocide, but he likely only did so because the strain of his connection with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become too great. The large demonstrations throughout the globe for the freedom of Palestinian territories, and the unwavering anti-government protests inside Israel, are the real factors behind this pressure.

It is due to this enormous public campaign that a truce has been signed, the hostages freed, and the residents of the territory can enjoy safeguard from annihilation. After the truce arrangement has been signed, it is crucial to continue maintaining this pressure. The international community has ignored to the violence in Gaza for too long; it must not repeat the same error in the occupied territories.