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Last Monday, amid a combined speech by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, colleague parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I displayed a sign calling for the acknowledgment of the Palestinian state. We were violently removed from the legislative session, exposing the fragile condition of what's often portrayed as the "only democratic state in the region". How can officials talk about regional peace while refusing to acknowledge a population deprived of fundamental freedoms and rights under decades-long military control?

The Reality in the West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, words of peace seem distant and faint, while the frightening echoes of colonist attacks and intimidation persist strongly. More than 30 occurrences of violence by settlers against Palestinians have been recorded since the announcement of the US 20-point plan in September's end, including physical assaults, stealing of crops, and burning of cars and property.

Systematic Violence During Agricultural Period

The rise in settler terrorism is deliberate. This period signals the start of agricultural harvesting. More than a crucial economic event, it represents an significant communal and cultural occasion that shows resilience under military rule. Exactly for these causes, annually colonists attack Palestinians during this crucial time. During the 2024 harvest period, rights groups documented 113 distinct incidents of violence, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive groves and produce involving Israeli civilians and military personnel, which occurred on lands belonging to 51 Palestinian villages, towns, and areas.

Israel's military seemed to have had a larger part in obstructing the harvesting season

The human rights group also found that "Israeli military seemed to have had a larger part in obstructing the harvesting season". In approximately 70% of cases where access to farmland was forcibly prevented, troops, border police officers, and settlement civilian security coordinators were physically present. They either personally stopped Palestinians from accessing and harvesting their own lands, or neglected to stop settlers who harassed or assaulted them.

Political Support for Settler Activities

This is no surprise, as the head of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an additional official in the Defense Ministry in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In one village, for example, a particular COGAT unit removed private olive trees of Palestinians, claiming missing documentation, but overlooked violations by an unauthorized nearby settler outpost. Last week, the local court ruled to halt all building work in the outpost, which was constructed on property seized by Israel and illegally transferred to settlers.

Annexation Ambitions and International Response

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a instrument used by the government to pursue de-facto incorporation. Recently, Smotrich headed a procession of thousands of settlers in support of taking over the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We are continuing to establish presence with our presence of the territory with numerous pioneers, numerous champions, and hundreds of thousands of colonists who live in this part of the territory ... we must to normalize it and establish it permanently."

The colonists and their backers in the Knesset are clear about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the Western nations hesitate from substantial sanctions and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in June, but the effect of the penalty has been limited. He may not be able to go to the UK and tour the West End, but he still maintains the governmental authority to take lands in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of penalties, the British government highlighted they apply "in his personal capacity" only.

Global Recognition and Actual Situation

If the British administration recognizes the reality of colonist aggression and its serious implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still permit settlement produce to be sold in markets and shops in Britain? If the British leader is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how can he allow the Israeli government to breach its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the acknowledgment an empty ploy to shut down dissenting voices in the United Kingdom, a hollow act only to be realised in the relabeling of some maps?

Pathway to True Peace

A just resolution must respect the fundamental entitlements of the Palestinian population for self-recognition, sovereignty, and freedom from military occupation and blockade. Only when every human being's dignity across the Jordan River and sea is honored can we genuinely declare reconciliation has been achieved.

True peace demands an independent Palestinian nation alongside Israel: this is the only formula that has consensus among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace advocates.

The former US president may have inflicted influence on the Israeli leader to stop the genocide, but he probably only did so because the burden of his connection with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The mass protests throughout the globe for the freedom of Palestine, and the persistent anti-government demonstrations within Israel, are the real forces behind this pressure.

It is due to this massive public campaign that a ceasefire has been signed, the hostages released, and the residents of the territory can enjoy protection from destruction. After the ceasefire agreement has been finalized, it is crucial to keep maintaining this pressure. The international community has turned a blind eye to the violence in the strip for too long; it must not make the same mistake in the occupied territories.