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Last Monday, amid a joint speech by US President Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner urging the acknowledgment of the Palestinian state. We were violently ejected from the legislative assembly, exposing the weak condition of what's often described as the "only democracy in the Middle East". How can officials talk about regional peace while refusing to acknowledge a population denied of fundamental liberties and entitlements under long-standing military control?

The Reality in the Occupied West Bank

In no place is the hypocrisy more evident than in the controlled West Bank. There, talk of peace sound distant and faint, while the frightening echoes of settler violence and terror continue strongly. More than 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been documented since the unveiling of the Trump administration's peace proposal in September's end, featuring physical assaults, stealing of agricultural produce, and torching of cars and belongings.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The rise in settler terrorism is not coincidental. This time marks the beginning of agricultural harvesting. Beyond a crucial economic event, it constitutes an important social and cultural moment that shows endurance under occupation. Precisely for these causes, annually colonists attack Palestinians during this crucial period. During the last year's agricultural period, rights groups documented 113 distinct incidents of violence, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive groves and produce involving settlers and military personnel, which occurred on lands belonging to 51 Palestinian villages, towns, and areas.

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

Yesh Din also found that "Israeli security forces appeared to have had a larger part in obstructing the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of instances where access to lands was violently prevented, soldiers, border police officers, and settler civilian security coordinators were actually present. They either directly stopped Palestinian farmers from accessing and harvesting their property, or failed to stop settlers who harassed or attacked them.

Political Support for Colonization

This is no shock, as the leader of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a particular COGAT unit removed private olive trees of local residents, claiming missing documentation, but ignored violations by an unauthorized nearby settler outpost. Last week, the local court decided to stop all construction in the encampment, which was built on property taken by Israel and unlawfully transferred to colonists.

Annexation Ambitions and Global Reaction

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a tool used by the administration to achieve practical incorporation. Recently, Smotrich led a procession of many of colonists in support of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as stating, "We are continuing to take hold with our feet of the territory with many pioneers, many heroes, and countless of settlers who live in this part of the land ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their backers in the Knesset are clear about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the Western nations hesitate from substantial penalties and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in June, but the effect of the penalty has been minimal. He may not be permitted to travel to the UK and visit the West End, but he still enjoys the ministerial power to seize territories in the West Bank. Remarkably in the announcement of sanctions, the British government highlighted they take place "personally" solely.

Global Recognition and Actual Situation

If the UK government acknowledges the reality of settler violence and its grave consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still allow settlement produce to be marketed in markets and outlets in Britain? If the British leader is serious about recognition of Palestine as a sovereign entity, how come he permit the Israeli government to breach its independence with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an empty tactic to shut down opposition in the UK, a hollow gesture only to be implemented in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to Genuine Peace

A fair peace must respect the basic rights of the Palestinian people for self-determination, sovereignty, and freedom from occupation and blockade. Only when each person's worth between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is honored can we truly declare reconciliation has been attained.

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

Trump may have inflicted pressure on Netanyahu to halt the violence, but he likely only did so because the burden of his relationship with the pariah regime of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The large demonstrations throughout the world for the liberation of Palestine, and the unwavering anti-government demonstrations inside Israel, are the real factors behind this influence.

It is due to this enormous civil movement that a truce has been signed, the captives released, and the residents of Gaza can enjoy safeguard from destruction. Following the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is crucial to continue maintaining this influence. The international community has ignored to the atrocities in the strip for many years; it must not repeat the same mistake in the occupied territories.