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Last Monday, amid a joint speech by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, colleague parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a sign urging the acknowledgment of Palestine. We were forcibly ejected from the parliamentary session, exposing the fragile state of what's often portrayed as the "only democratic state in the Middle East". How can officials speak about regional peace while declining to acknowledge a people deprived of basic freedoms and entitlements under decades-long occupation?

The Reality in the Occupied West Bank

In no place is the deceit more evident than in the occupied West Bank. There, words of reconciliation seem distant and faint, while the frightening sounds of colonist attacks and terror continue loudly. More than 30 occurrences of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been recorded since the unveiling of the Trump administration's peace proposal in September's end, including physical assaults, theft of crops, and burning of vehicles and belongings.

Targeted Aggression During Harvest Season

The rise in violence by colonists is not coincidental. This time signals the beginning of harvest seasons. More than a vital economic activity, it constitutes an important social and cultural moment that shows endurance under occupation. Precisely for these causes, annually colonists attack Palestinian farmers throughout this precious period. During the 2024 harvest period, human rights organizations documented 113 separate cases of violence, harassment, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive trees and crops involving Israeli civilians and military personnel, which occurred on lands owned by 51 Palestinian-owned villages, municipalities, and areas.

Israeli military appeared to have played a greater role in obstructing the harvesting season

The human rights group also found that "Israeli security forces seemed to have had a greater part in obstructing the olive harvest". In about 70% of instances where access to lands was forcibly blocked, troops, border police officers, and settler security officials were physically on site. They either personally stopped Palestinian farmers from reaching and harvesting their own lands, or neglected to stop settlers who harassed or attacked them.

Political Support for Settler Activities

This is no surprise, as the head of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra official in the Defense Ministry in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In Umm al-Khair, for example, a particular military coordination team removed private olive trees of Palestinians, claiming lack of permits, but ignored violations by an unauthorized nearby colonist encampment. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to halt all building work in the encampment, which was built on property taken by Israeli authorities and unlawfully transferred to settlers.

Takeover Goals and Global Response

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a instrument used by the administration to achieve practical annexation. Recently, Smotrich led a procession of many 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 settlers, many champions, and hundreds of thousands of colonists who live in this part of the land ... we must to normalise it and make it eternal."

The colonists and their supporters in the Knesset are explicit about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do political leaders in the west hesitate from substantial sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was penalized by the United Kingdom in June, but the effect of the penalty has been limited. He may not be able to go to the UK and tour the West End, but he still maintains the ministerial power to seize territories in the West Bank. Even in the announcement of penalties, the British government highlighted they apply "personally" only.

International Recognition and Reality

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 acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how can he allow the Israeli administration to violate its independence with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an hollow tactic to shut down dissenting voices in the United Kingdom, a hollow gesture only to be implemented in the rebranding of some maps?

Pathway to True Resolution

A fair peace must respect the fundamental entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-recognition, sovereignty, and liberty from occupation and blockade. Only when every person's worth between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we truly say reconciliation has been attained.

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

The former US president may have applied influence on Netanyahu to halt the violence, but he likely only did so because the burden of his connection with the pariah regime of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The mass protests throughout the world for the freedom of Palestine, and the persistent opposition demonstrations inside Israel, are the actual forces behind this influence.

It is thanks to this enormous civil movement that a ceasefire has been agreed, the captives released, and the people of the territory can experience safeguard from annihilation. After the ceasefire agreement has been finalized, it is crucial to keep applying this pressure. The world has turned a blind eye to the atrocities in Gaza for too long; it must not repeat the same error in the occupied territories.