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Last week, amid a joint speech by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, colleague lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner calling for the acknowledgment of the Palestinian state. We were violently ejected from the legislative assembly, revealing the weak state of what's frequently described as the "sole democracy in the region". How can officials speak about Middle East peace while refusing to recognize a people denied of fundamental liberties and entitlements under long-standing military control?

The Reality in the West Bank

In no place is the hypocrisy more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, talk of peace seem distant and weak, while the terrifying echoes of settler violence and intimidation continue strongly. Over 30 occurrences of violence by settlers against Palestinians have been recorded since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, featuring attacks, theft of crops, and burning of vehicles and belongings.

Systematic Violence During Harvest Season

The increase in settler terrorism is not coincidental. This time signals the beginning of agricultural harvesting. More than a vital economic activity, it constitutes an important communal and cultural moment that shows resilience under occupation. Precisely for these reasons, annually colonists target Palestinian farmers during this crucial time. During the last year's agricultural season, human rights organizations recorded 113 separate incidents of aggression, harassment, harvest-thwarting, or destruction to olive trees and crops involving settlers and military personnel, which took place on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian communities, towns, and areas.

Israel's security forces seemed to have played a larger role in hindering the harvesting season

Yesh Din also found that "Israel's military seemed to have had a greater part in obstructing the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of cases where access to lands was forcibly blocked, troops, border guards, and settler civilian security coordinators were physically present. They either personally prevented Palestinians from accessing and gathering their property, or failed to prevent settlers who harassed or attacked them.

Government Backing for Settler Activities

This comes as no surprise, as the leader of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an additional official in the Defense Ministry in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a special COGAT unit removed private olive plants of Palestinians, claiming lack of permits, but overlooked violations by an unauthorized nearby colonist encampment. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to stop all construction in the encampment, which was constructed on property taken by Israeli authorities and unlawfully given to settlers.

Annexation Goals and International Response

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a tool used by the administration to pursue practical annexation. Recently, Smotrich led a march of many of settlers in favor of annexation the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We persist to establish presence with our feet of the Land of Israel with many pioneers, numerous heroes, and countless of colonists who live in this area of the territory ... we need to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their supporters in the Knesset are clear about their motives and goals. Why, then, do political leaders in the Western nations hesitate from meaningful penalties and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in June, but the effect of the penalty has been limited. He may not be able to travel to the UK and visit the London's entertainment district, but he still maintains the ministerial power to seize lands in the West Bank. Remarkably in the announcement of penalties, the British government highlighted they take place "personally" only.

International Recognition and Actual Situation

If the UK government recognizes the truth of colonist aggression and its grave consequences on Palestinian existence, why does it still permit goods from settlements to be sold in stores and outlets in the UK? If Starmer is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how come he permit the Israeli government to violate its sovereignty with such violent means? Or was the recognition an hollow tactic to shut down opposition in the UK, a hollow act only to be realised in the relabeling of some maps?

Route Toward Genuine Peace

A just resolution must respect the fundamental rights of the Palestinian population for self-recognition, independence, and liberty from military occupation and blockade. Only when each person's worth across the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we genuinely declare peace has been attained.

Genuine peace demands an sovereign Palestinian nation next to Israel: this is the sole formula that has agreement among the global community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace advocates.

Trump may have applied influence on the Israeli leader to halt the genocide, but he probably only did so because the strain of his connection with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become too great. The large demonstrations across the world for the liberation of Palestine, and the unwavering anti-government protests inside Israel, are the actual forces behind this influence.

It is thanks to this massive public campaign that a ceasefire has been signed, the captives released, and the people of the territory can experience safeguard from destruction. After the ceasefire agreement has been finalized, it is crucial to continue maintaining this pressure. The world has ignored to the violence in Gaza for too long; it must not make the same mistake in the West Bank.