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Last week, amid a joint address by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, colleague lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I displayed a banner calling for the acknowledgment of Palestine. We were violently removed from the legislative assembly, exposing the weak condition of what's frequently portrayed as the "only democratic state in the Middle East". How can officials speak about Middle East peace while refusing to recognize a population denied of fundamental liberties and entitlements under long-standing military control?

The Reality in the Occupied West Bank

Nowhere is the hypocrisy more evident than in the controlled West Bank. There, words of peace seem remote and weak, while the terrifying echoes of colonist attacks and terror persist strongly. More than 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been documented since the announcement of the US peace proposal in late September, including physical assaults, theft of crops, and torching of vehicles and belongings.

Systematic Violence During Agricultural Period

The rise in settler terrorism is deliberate. This period signals the beginning of agricultural harvesting. More than a crucial economic event, it represents an significant communal and cultural moment that shows endurance under occupation. Precisely for these reasons, year after year settlers target Palestinian farmers during this crucial time. During the last year's agricultural season, rights groups documented 113 distinct incidents of violence, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive trees and crops by Israeli civilians and military personnel, which took place on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian communities, towns, and communities.

Israel's military seemed to have played a greater part in obstructing the olive harvest

Yesh Din also found that "Israeli security forces appeared to have had a greater part in hindering the olive harvest". In about 70% of cases where entry to lands was violently prevented, troops, border police officers, and settlement civilian security coordinators were actually present. They either directly stopped Palestinian farmers from reaching and harvesting their own lands, or failed to stop settlers who harassed or attacked them.

Political Backing for Colonization

This is no shock, as the head of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an additional official in the Defense Ministry responsible for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In one village, for example, a particular COGAT unit removed private olive plants of local residents, claiming lack of permits, but overlooked violations by an illegal adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to stop all building work in the outpost, which was constructed on property seized by Israeli authorities and unlawfully transferred to settlers.

Takeover Goals and Global Response

In the occupied West Bank, colonist violence is nothing but a instrument used by the government to pursue de-facto annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a march of thousands of settlers in favor of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We are continuing to take hold with our presence of the territory with numerous pioneers, many champions, and countless of colonists who live in this part of the territory ... we must to normalise it and make it eternal."

The settlers and their backers in the Knesset are explicit about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the west refrain from meaningful sanctions and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in the summer, but the impact of the penalty has been minimal. He may not be permitted to go to the United Kingdom and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still enjoys the governmental authority to seize lands in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of sanctions, the British government highlighted they apply "in his personal capacity" only.

Global Recognition and Reality

If the UK government acknowledges the truth of colonist aggression and its serious implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still allow settlement produce to be marketed in markets and shops in Britain? If the British leader 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 silence opposition in the UK, a meaningless gesture only to be implemented in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Route Toward Genuine Peace

A fair resolution must respect the basic rights of the Palestinian people for self-recognition, sovereignty, and freedom from military occupation and blockade. Only when each human being's worth across the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is honored can we genuinely say peace has been achieved.

Genuine resolution demands an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel: this is the sole formula that enjoises agreement among the global community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

The former US president may have inflicted influence on Netanyahu to stop the genocide, but he probably only did so because the burden of his relationship with the pariah regime of Netanyahu had become too great. The mass protests throughout the globe for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the persistent opposition protests within Israel, are the real forces behind this pressure.

It is thanks to this massive public campaign that a truce has been agreed, the hostages freed, and the people of the territory can experience protection from destruction. After the truce arrangement has been signed, it is crucial to continue applying this influence. The international community has turned a blind eye to the atrocities in Gaza for many years; it must not repeat the same error in the occupied territories.