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Last week, amid a joint address by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, colleague lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner calling for the acknowledgment of Palestine. We were forcibly removed from the legislative session, revealing the fragile state of what's frequently portrayed as the "sole democratic state in the region". How can officials speak about regional peace while declining to acknowledge a people deprived of fundamental liberties and rights under long-standing military control?

The Situation in the Occupied West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more apparent than in the controlled West Bank. There, words of peace sound distant and weak, while the terrifying echoes of settler violence and terror continue loudly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinians have been documented since the announcement of the US peace proposal in late September, featuring physical assaults, stealing of crops, and burning of cars and property.

Systematic Aggression During Harvest Season

The rise in violence by colonists is deliberate. This period marks the start of agricultural harvesting. More than a vital economic event, it constitutes an important communal and cultural occasion that shows endurance under military rule. Exactly for these reasons, annually settlers attack Palestinian farmers during this crucial time. During the last year's agricultural period, human rights organizations recorded 113 distinct incidents of violence, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive groves and produce involving settlers and soldiers, which occurred on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian-owned villages, towns, and areas.

Israeli military seemed to have played a greater part in hindering the olive harvest

Yesh Din also found that "Israel's security forces appeared to have had a greater role in hindering the harvesting season". In about 70% of instances where access to lands was forcibly blocked, soldiers, border guards, and settlement civilian security coordinators were actually present. They either directly stopped Palestinians from reaching and gathering their property, or neglected to stop settlers who harassed or assaulted them.

Government Backing for Settler Activities

This comes as no surprise, as the head of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an additional official in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In Umm al-Khair, for example, a particular military coordination team removed private olive plants of local residents, citing lack of permits, but ignored violations by an illegal nearby settler outpost. Last week, the local court ruled to halt all construction in the outpost, which was constructed on property seized by Israel and illegally transferred to settlers.

Annexation Ambitions and Global Reaction

In the occupied West Bank, colonist violence is nothing but a tool used by the administration to achieve practical incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a procession of thousands of colonists in favor of taking over the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We persist to take hold with our feet of the territory with many settlers, numerous heroes, and countless of settlers who live in this area of the territory ... we need to normalize it and make it eternal."

The settlers and their supporters in the parliament are clear about their motives and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the west hesitate from substantial sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was penalized by the United Kingdom in the summer, but the effect of the sanction has been minimal. He may not be able to go to the UK and visit the West End, but he still maintains the governmental authority to take lands in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of penalties, the British government emphasized they take place "in his personal capacity" solely.

Global Acknowledgment and Reality

If the British administration acknowledges the truth of settler violence and its grave consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still allow settlement produce to be sold in markets and outlets in Britain? If Starmer is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how come he permit the Israeli administration to breach its independence with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an hollow tactic to silence dissenting voices in the United Kingdom, a meaningless act only to be implemented in the rebranding of some maps?

Pathway to Genuine Resolution

A just resolution must respect the basic rights of the Palestinian people for self-recognition, sovereignty, and freedom from military occupation and blockade. Only when each human being's worth between the river and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we genuinely declare peace has been achieved.

True resolution requires an independent Palestinian state next to the Israeli state: this is the sole solution that has consensus among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have inflicted influence on the Israeli leader to stop the genocide, 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 unwavering anti-government protests within the country, are the actual factors behind this influence.

It is due to this massive public campaign that a ceasefire has been agreed, the captives released, and the people of Gaza can experience protection from destruction. After the truce arrangement has been signed, it is vital to continue maintaining this influence. The international community has turned a blind eye to the atrocities in Gaza for too long; it must not make the same mistake in the occupied territories.