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Last Monday, during a joint address by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner urging the acknowledgment of Palestine. We were forcibly removed from the parliamentary session, revealing the fragile state of what's frequently described as the "only democratic state in the Middle East". How can officials talk about Middle East peace while declining to recognize a people denied of fundamental freedoms and rights under long-standing occupation?

The Reality in the West Bank

Nowhere is the hypocrisy more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, talk of peace sound remote and faint, while the terrifying echoes of colonist attacks and intimidation persist loudly. Over 30 occurrences of settler aggression against Palestinians have been recorded since the announcement of the Trump administration's peace proposal in September's end, including attacks, stealing of crops, and torching of vehicles and property.

Systematic Aggression During Harvest Season

The rise in violence by colonists is deliberate. This time marks the beginning of agricultural harvesting. Beyond a vital economic event, it represents an important communal and national moment that shows resilience under occupation. Precisely for these causes, annually colonists target Palestinian farmers throughout this precious period. During the last year's agricultural season, human rights organizations recorded 113 separate cases of aggression, harassment, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive trees and produce by Israeli civilians and military personnel, which occurred on lands owned by 51 Palestinian-owned villages, towns, and areas.

Israel's military seemed to have had a larger part in obstructing the olive harvest

The human rights group also discovered that "Israel's security forces appeared to have had a greater part in obstructing the harvesting season". In about 70% of instances where access to lands was forcibly blocked, troops, border guards, and settler security officials were physically on site. They either directly prevented Palestinians from accessing and harvesting their own lands, or failed to stop colonists who harassed or attacked them.

Political Support for Settler Activities

This comes as no surprise, as the head of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra official in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In one village, for instance, a particular military coordination team removed private olive plants of Palestinians, citing lack of permits, but overlooked violations by an illegal adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to halt all construction in the outpost, which was built on lands taken by Israeli authorities and unlawfully transferred to settlers.

Takeover Goals and International Response

In the controlled West Bank, colonist violence is simply a instrument used by the administration to achieve practical incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich led a procession of thousands of settlers in support of annexation the West Bank. He was reported as saying, "We are continuing to take hold with our presence of the territory with numerous settlers, many heroes, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who reside in this area of the land ... we need to normalise it and make it eternal."

The colonists and their backers in the Knesset are clear about their intentions and goals. Why, then, do political leaders in the west hesitate from substantial penalties and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in the summer, but the impact of the penalty has been limited. He may not be permitted to go to the United Kingdom and visit the London's entertainment district, but he still maintains the ministerial power to seize lands in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of penalties, the UK highlighted they take place "in his personal capacity" solely.

Global Acknowledgment and Reality

If the UK government acknowledges the reality of colonist aggression and its grave consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still permit goods from settlements to be sold in markets and shops in Britain? If Starmer is genuine about recognition of Palestine as a state, how can he permit the Israeli administration to violate its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an empty tactic to shut down opposition in the UK, a meaningless act only to be realised in the rebranding of some maps?

Pathway to True Peace

A fair resolution must respect the fundamental entitlements of the Palestinian population for self-recognition, independence, and liberty from occupation and siege. Only when each person's dignity between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we genuinely say peace has been achieved.

Genuine peace demands an independent Palestinian nation alongside the Israeli state: this is the sole solution that has consensus among the global community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace advocates.

Trump may have inflicted pressure on the Israeli leader to stop the violence, but he likely only did so because the burden of his connection with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become too great. The large demonstrations throughout the globe for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the unwavering opposition protests within Israel, are the actual forces behind this influence.

It is due to this enormous public campaign that a truce has been signed, the hostages freed, and the residents of the territory can experience protection from annihilation. 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 error in the West Bank.