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Last week, amid a combined address by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I displayed a banner urging the recognition of the Palestinian state. We were violently ejected from the legislative session, exposing the weak condition of what's frequently portrayed as the "sole democracy in the Middle East". How can officials talk about regional peace while declining to recognize a people deprived of basic freedoms and rights under long-standing occupation?

The Reality in the West Bank

In no place is the deceit more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, talk of reconciliation sound remote and faint, while the frightening echoes of settler violence and intimidation persist strongly. Over 30 incidents of violence by settlers against Palestinians have been recorded since the unveiling of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in September's end, including attacks, stealing of agricultural produce, and burning of vehicles and property.

Targeted Violence During Harvest Season

The increase in settler terrorism is deliberate. This period marks the beginning of harvest seasons. More than a crucial economic event, it represents an important social and national occasion that shows resilience under occupation. Exactly for these reasons, year after year colonists target Palestinians during this crucial time. During the 2024 harvest season, rights groups documented 113 separate incidents of aggression, harassment, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive trees and crops involving settlers and soldiers, which occurred on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian-owned villages, municipalities, and areas.

Israel's military appeared to have had a greater role in obstructing the harvesting season

The human rights group also found that "Israel's military seemed to have played a greater part in hindering the harvesting season". In approximately 70% of cases where entry to lands was violently prevented, soldiers, border police officers, and settler civilian security coordinators were actually present. They either personally stopped Palestinian farmers from accessing and gathering their property, or neglected to prevent colonists who threatened or assaulted them.

Government Support for Colonization

This is no surprise, as the head of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In Umm al-Khair, for example, a particular COGAT unit uprooted personally-owned olive trees of local residents, citing lack of permits, but overlooked violations by an unauthorized adjacent colonist encampment. Last week, the local court decided to halt all construction in the encampment, which was built on lands taken by Israel and illegally given to colonists.

Takeover Goals and Global Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a tool used by the government to pursue practical incorporation. Recently, Smotrich led a procession of thousands of settlers in support of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as stating, "We persist to establish presence with our presence of the territory with numerous pioneers, numerous heroes, and hundreds of thousands of colonists who reside in this part of the land ... we must to normalize it and establish it permanently."

The colonists and their supporters in the Knesset are clear about their motives and goals. Why, then, do political leaders in the west refrain from substantial penalties and political actions? Smotrich was penalized by the UK in June, but the effect of the penalty has been limited. He may not be able to go to the UK and visit the London's entertainment district, but he still enjoys the governmental authority to take lands in the West Bank. Even in the announcement of penalties, the British government emphasized they apply "in his personal capacity" only.

Global Recognition and Reality

If the UK government recognizes the reality of colonist aggression and its serious consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still permit goods from settlements to be sold in markets 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 breach its independence with such aggressive methods? Or was the acknowledgment an empty tactic to shut down opposition in the United Kingdom, a meaningless act only to be realised in the relabeling of some maps?

Pathway to Genuine Peace

A fair peace must honor the fundamental entitlements of the Palestinian population for self-determination, independence, and freedom from occupation and blockade. Only when each person's dignity across the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we genuinely declare reconciliation has been attained.

Genuine resolution demands an sovereign Palestinian nation next to the Israeli state: this is the only formula that enjoises agreement among the global community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have applied pressure on Netanyahu to stop the genocide, but he probably only did so because the strain of his connection with the pariah regime of the Israeli PM had become too great. The large demonstrations throughout the world for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the persistent anti-government protests inside Israel, are the actual factors behind this pressure.

It is due to this massive civil movement that a ceasefire has been signed, the hostages freed, and the people of the territory can experience safeguard 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 Gaza for too long; it must not repeat the same mistake in the West Bank.