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Last Monday, amid a joint address by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, fellow lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I displayed a sign calling for the acknowledgment of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly removed from the parliamentary session, revealing the fragile condition of what's frequently described as the "sole democracy in the Middle East". How can officials talk about regional peace while refusing to recognize a people deprived of basic freedoms and entitlements under long-standing military control?

The Reality in the West Bank

In no place is the hypocrisy more evident than in the controlled West Bank. There, talk of reconciliation seem distant and weak, while the terrifying sounds of colonist attacks and terror continue loudly. More than 30 occurrences of violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians have been documented since the unveiling of the US peace proposal in September's end, featuring physical assaults, stealing of agricultural produce, and burning of cars and belongings.

Targeted Aggression During Agricultural Period

The increase in settler terrorism is not coincidental. This period marks the beginning of harvest seasons. More than a crucial economic activity, it constitutes an important social and national moment that shows resilience under occupation. Precisely for these causes, annually colonists target Palestinian farmers throughout this crucial period. During the last year's agricultural season, human rights organizations recorded 113 distinct incidents of aggression, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive trees and crops by Israeli civilians and military personnel, which occurred on territories owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, towns, and communities.

Israeli security forces seemed to have played a greater part in hindering the harvesting season

Yesh Din also found that "Israel's military seemed to have had a larger part in hindering the harvesting season". In approximately 70% of cases where entry to farmland was violently prevented, soldiers, border police officers, and settlement security officials were physically present. They either personally stopped Palestinian farmers from accessing and harvesting their property, or failed to prevent colonists who harassed or attacked them.

Government Support for Settler Activities

This is no shock, as the head of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra official in the Ministry of Defence responsible for the territorial coordination unit. In one village, for example, a special COGAT unit removed personally-owned olive trees of local residents, citing lack of permits, but overlooked infractions by an illegal adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the local court ruled to stop all building work in the encampment, which was built on property taken by Israeli authorities and illegally given to settlers.

Annexation Goals and Global Response

In the occupied West Bank, colonist violence is simply a tool used by the government to achieve practical incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich led a procession of thousands of colonists in support of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We are continuing to establish presence with our presence of the territory with many pioneers, numerous champions, and countless of colonists who reside in this part of the territory ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their backers in the Knesset are explicit about their motives and goals. Why, then, do political leaders in the west hesitate from meaningful penalties and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in the summer, but the impact of the sanction has been minimal. He may not be able to travel to the UK and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still maintains the ministerial power to take territories in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of penalties, the British government emphasized they apply "in his personal capacity" only.

International Recognition and Actual Situation

If the British administration acknowledges the reality of colonist aggression and its serious consequences on Palestinian existence, why does it still permit settlement produce to be sold in markets and outlets in the UK? If Starmer is genuine about recognition of Palestine as a state, how come he permit the Israeli government to violate its sovereignty with such violent means? Or was the acknowledgment an empty ploy to silence dissenting voices in the United Kingdom, a hollow gesture only to be implemented in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Route Toward True Resolution

A fair peace must respect the basic entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-recognition, sovereignty, and freedom from military occupation and blockade. Only when every person's worth across the Jordan River and sea is honored can we truly declare reconciliation has been achieved.

Genuine resolution requires an independent Palestinian nation alongside the Israeli state: this is the only solution that enjoises consensus among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

The former US president may have applied pressure on Netanyahu to stop the genocide, but he likely only did so because the strain of his connection with the pariah regime of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The large demonstrations throughout the world for the freedom of Palestinian territories, and the unwavering anti-government demonstrations inside the country, are the actual factors behind this pressure.

It is thanks to this enormous civil movement that a truce has been agreed, the captives released, and the people of Gaza can enjoy protection from annihilation. Following the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is crucial to continue applying this influence. The international community has ignored to the atrocities in Gaza for too long; it must not make the same error in the occupied territories.