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Last Monday, amid a joint address by American leader Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, colleague parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner calling for the recognition of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly ejected from the legislative session, revealing the weak state of what's often portrayed as the "only democratic state in the region". How can officials speak about regional peace while refusing to acknowledge a people deprived of fundamental liberties and rights under long-standing occupation?

The Reality in the Occupied West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more evident than in the controlled West Bank. There, talk of peace seem distant and faint, while the terrifying sounds of colonist attacks and intimidation continue loudly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been documented since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, featuring physical assaults, stealing of crops, and burning of vehicles and property.

Targeted Aggression During Agricultural Period

The rise in violence by colonists is deliberate. This period marks the beginning of harvest seasons. More than a vital economic activity, it represents an significant social and national occasion that demonstrates endurance under occupation. Exactly for these reasons, year after year settlers target Palestinians throughout this precious time. During the last year's agricultural season, rights groups documented 113 separate incidents of violence, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or destruction to olive groves and produce by Israeli civilians and soldiers, which took place on lands owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, towns, and communities.

Israel's military seemed to have had a greater part in hindering the harvesting season

The human rights group also discovered that "Israeli military seemed to have had a larger role in hindering the olive harvest". In about 70% of instances where access to farmland was violently prevented, troops, border guards, and settlement security officials were actually present. They either personally prevented Palestinian farmers from accessing and harvesting their own lands, or failed to stop settlers who harassed or attacked them.

Government Backing for Settler Activities

This is no shock, as the head of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In one village, for instance, a special military coordination team uprooted private olive trees of local residents, citing missing documentation, but overlooked violations by an illegal nearby settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court decided to halt all construction in the encampment, which was constructed on lands seized by Israel and unlawfully transferred to colonists.

Annexation Goals and International Response

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a tool used by the government to pursue de-facto annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a procession of thousands of colonists in support of taking over the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We persist to take hold with our feet of the Land of Israel with numerous pioneers, numerous heroes, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who reside in this part of the territory ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The colonists and their supporters in the parliament are clear about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the Western nations refrain from substantial sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was penalized by the United Kingdom in June, but the impact of the penalty has been minimal. He may not be able to travel to the UK and visit the West End, but he still maintains the ministerial power to seize territories in the West Bank. Even in the announcement of penalties, the UK highlighted they apply "personally" solely.

International Recognition and Reality

If the British administration acknowledges the reality of settler violence and its serious consequences on Palestinian existence, why does it still allow settlement produce to be marketed in markets and shops in the UK? If Starmer is serious about recognition of Palestine as a state, how can he allow the Israeli government to violate its sovereignty with such violent means? Or was the acknowledgment an hollow tactic to shut down opposition in the UK, a meaningless gesture only to be realised in the relabeling of some maps?

Route Toward Genuine Resolution

A fair resolution must respect the fundamental rights of the Palestinian population for self-determination, independence, and liberty from occupation and blockade. Only when each human being's worth across the Jordan River and sea is respected can we genuinely declare peace has been achieved.

Genuine resolution demands an sovereign Palestinian nation next to Israel: this is the only solution that has consensus among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have inflicted pressure on Netanyahu to stop the violence, but he likely only did so because the burden of his connection with the pariah regime of Netanyahu had become too great. The large demonstrations across the world for the liberation of Palestine, and the unwavering anti-government demonstrations within Israel, are the real factors behind this pressure.

It is due to this enormous public campaign that a truce has been agreed, the hostages released, and the residents of Gaza can experience protection from destruction. After the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is vital to keep maintaining this influence. The world has ignored to the violence in the strip for many years; it must not make the same error in the West Bank.