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Last Monday, during a combined speech by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, colleague lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner urging the recognition of the Palestinian state. We were violently ejected from the legislative session, exposing the weak condition of what's frequently described as the "sole democratic state in the Middle East". How can officials speak about regional peace while refusing to recognize a population denied of basic liberties and entitlements under decades-long military control?

The Reality in the Occupied West Bank

Nowhere is the hypocrisy more evident than in the controlled West Bank. There, words of reconciliation seem remote and weak, while the terrifying sounds of settler violence and terror continue loudly. Over 30 occurrences of settler aggression against Palestinians have been documented since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, including attacks, stealing of agricultural produce, and burning of cars and belongings.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The increase in violence by colonists is deliberate. This period signals the beginning of harvest seasons. More than a vital economic activity, it constitutes an important communal and cultural occasion that demonstrates endurance under occupation. Exactly for these causes, annually settlers attack Palestinian farmers throughout this precious period. During the 2024 harvest season, rights groups recorded 113 separate cases of violence, harassment, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive trees and produce involving Israeli civilians and military personnel, which took place on lands belonging to 51 Palestinian-owned communities, municipalities, and communities.

Israel's security forces seemed to have played a greater role in hindering the olive harvest

Yesh Din also discovered that "Israeli security forces appeared to have played a greater role in obstructing the harvesting season". In about 70% of cases where entry to farmland was forcibly prevented, troops, border police officers, and settlement security officials were actually on site. They either directly prevented Palestinians from reaching and gathering their property, or neglected to stop settlers who threatened or assaulted them.

Government Backing for Settler Activities

This comes as no surprise, as the leader of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an additional minister in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In one village, for instance, a particular COGAT unit uprooted private olive trees of local residents, citing missing documentation, but overlooked infractions by an illegal nearby colonist encampment. Last week, the local court ruled to stop all construction in the encampment, which was built on property seized by Israeli authorities and illegally given to colonists.

Takeover Ambitions and International Response

In the occupied West Bank, colonist violence is simply a tool used by the administration to pursue de-facto incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich led a procession of thousands of settlers in favor of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as stating, "We persist to establish presence with our feet of the territory with many pioneers, many champions, and countless of settlers who live in this area of the territory ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The colonists and their supporters in the Knesset are explicit about their motives and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the west refrain from substantial penalties and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in the summer, but the impact of the sanction has been minimal. He may not be permitted to travel to the UK and visit the London's entertainment district, but he still maintains the ministerial power to seize territories in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of penalties, the UK highlighted they apply "personally" only.

International Acknowledgment and Reality

If the UK government recognizes the reality of settler violence and its serious implications on Palestinian life, why does it still allow settlement produce to be sold in markets and outlets in the UK? If the British leader is serious about recognition of Palestine as a sovereign entity, how come he allow the Israeli administration to breach its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an hollow ploy to silence opposition in the United Kingdom, a meaningless gesture only to be realised in the relabeling of some maps?

Pathway to True Peace

A fair resolution must honor the basic rights of the Palestinian population for self-determination, sovereignty, and freedom from military occupation and siege. Only when every person's dignity between the Jordan River and sea is respected can we genuinely say reconciliation has been achieved.

True resolution demands an independent Palestinian nation alongside Israel: this is the sole formula that has consensus among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

The former US president may have inflicted influence on the Israeli leader to stop the violence, but he likely only did so because the strain of his connection with the pariah regime of the Israeli PM had become too great. The mass protests throughout the globe for the liberation of Palestine, and the persistent anti-government demonstrations within Israel, are the actual forces behind this influence.

It is due to this massive public campaign that a truce has been agreed, the captives released, and the people of the territory can enjoy protection from annihilation. Following the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is vital to continue maintaining this pressure. The international community has turned a blind eye to the atrocities in Gaza for too long; it must not repeat the same mistake in the West Bank.