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Last Monday, during a combined speech by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, colleague parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I displayed a sign urging the acknowledgment of the Palestinian state. We were violently ejected from the parliamentary assembly, revealing the weak state of what's frequently portrayed as the "sole democracy in the region". How can officials talk about regional peace while refusing to recognize a population deprived of fundamental freedoms and entitlements under decades-long military control?

The Reality in the West Bank

In no place is the deceit more evident than in the occupied West Bank. There, talk of reconciliation sound distant and weak, while the frightening sounds of settler violence and intimidation persist strongly. Over 30 incidents of violence by settlers against Palestinians have been recorded since the announcement of the US peace proposal in late September, including attacks, theft of agricultural produce, and torching of vehicles and property.

Systematic Aggression During Harvest Season

The increase in violence by colonists is deliberate. This time signals the start of agricultural harvesting. Beyond a crucial economic activity, it constitutes an important communal and national moment that shows endurance under occupation. Exactly for these reasons, year after year settlers target Palestinians during this crucial period. During the 2024 harvest season, human rights organizations recorded 113 distinct incidents of aggression, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive trees and produce involving settlers and military personnel, which took place on lands owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, municipalities, and areas.

Israeli security forces seemed to have had a larger part in obstructing the harvesting season

The human rights group also found that "Israel's security forces seemed to have played a larger role in obstructing the harvesting season". In about 70% of cases where entry to farmland was violently prevented, soldiers, border guards, and settler civilian security coordinators were physically present. They either personally prevented Palestinian farmers from reaching and harvesting their own lands, or failed to prevent colonists who threatened or assaulted them.

Political Backing for Colonization

This comes as no surprise, as the head of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra minister in the Defense Ministry responsible for the territorial coordination unit. In one village, for example, a special military coordination team uprooted personally-owned olive trees of local residents, citing lack of permits, but ignored violations by an illegal adjacent colonist encampment. Last week, the Jerusalem district court decided to halt all construction in the outpost, which was built on property seized by Israel and unlawfully given to settlers.

Takeover Goals and International Response

In the occupied West Bank, colonist violence is simply a tool used by the government to pursue de-facto incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich led a march of thousands of colonists in support of taking over the West Bank. He was reported as saying, "We persist to establish presence with our feet of the Land of Israel with many pioneers, many champions, and countless of colonists who reside in this area of the territory ... we need to normalize it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their supporters in the parliament are explicit about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the west hesitate from meaningful 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 go to the UK and visit the West End, but he still maintains the ministerial power to seize lands in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of penalties, the UK highlighted they apply "in his personal capacity" only.

International Recognition and Actual Situation

If the UK government acknowledges the reality of colonist aggression and its grave implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still allow goods from settlements to be sold in stores and outlets in the UK? If Starmer is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a sovereign entity, how come he permit the Israeli government to violate its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an empty ploy to shut down opposition in the United Kingdom, a meaningless gesture only to be implemented in the rebranding of some cartographic representations?

Route Toward Genuine Resolution

A fair peace must respect the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people for self-determination, independence, and liberty from military occupation and blockade. Only when every person's dignity across the Jordan River and sea is respected can we truly say peace has been achieved.

True peace requires an independent Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state: this is the only solution that enjoises consensus among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace advocates.

Trump may have applied influence on Netanyahu to halt the violence, but he probably only did so because the strain of his relationship with the isolated government of Netanyahu had become too great. The large demonstrations across the globe for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the unwavering anti-government protests inside the country, are the actual forces behind this pressure.

It is thanks to this enormous public campaign that a ceasefire has been agreed, the hostages freed, and the people of Gaza can enjoy protection from annihilation. After the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is vital to continue applying this influence. The international community has turned a blind eye to the violence in the strip for too long; it must not make the same mistake in the West Bank.