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Last Monday, amid a combined speech by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I displayed a banner calling for the acknowledgment of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly removed from the legislative assembly, revealing the fragile condition of what's often portrayed as the "only democratic state in the Middle East". How can officials talk about regional peace while declining to acknowledge a people denied of basic liberties and entitlements under decades-long occupation?

The Situation in the Occupied West Bank

In no place is the hypocrisy more apparent than in the controlled West Bank. There, talk of peace seem remote and weak, while the terrifying echoes of settler violence and terror continue loudly. More than 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been recorded since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in September's end, including attacks, theft of crops, and burning of cars and belongings.

Systematic Violence During Agricultural Period

The increase in violence by colonists is not coincidental. This time signals the start of harvest seasons. More than a crucial economic event, it represents an significant communal and cultural moment that shows resilience under military rule. Exactly for these reasons, annually colonists attack Palestinians during this crucial time. During the last year's agricultural period, human rights organizations recorded 113 distinct cases of violence, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or destruction to olive groves and crops by settlers and military personnel, which took place on lands belonging to 51 Palestinian-owned villages, towns, and communities.

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

Yesh Din also found that "Israeli military appeared to have had a greater part in hindering the harvesting season". In approximately 70% of instances where access to farmland was forcibly prevented, soldiers, border police officers, and settlement civilian security coordinators were physically on site. They either personally prevented Palestinians from reaching and gathering their property, or neglected to prevent colonists who threatened or attacked them.

Political Backing for Settler Activities

This comes as no shock, as the leader of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra official in the Ministry of Defence responsible for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In one village, for instance, a special military coordination team removed personally-owned olive trees of Palestinians, citing missing documentation, but ignored violations by an illegal adjacent colonist encampment. Last week, the local court ruled to halt all building work in the encampment, which was constructed on property seized by Israel and illegally given to settlers.

Annexation Goals and International Reaction

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a tool used by the administration to pursue de-facto annexation. Recently, Smotrich headed a march of many of colonists in support of taking over the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We are continuing to establish presence with our presence of the Land of Israel with many pioneers, many heroes, and countless of colonists who live in this area of the territory ... we must to normalise it and make it eternal."

The colonists and their backers in the Knesset are explicit about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the Western nations hesitate from substantial sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in the summer, but the impact of the sanction has been minimal. He may not be permitted to go to the United Kingdom and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still maintains the governmental authority to take lands in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of penalties, the UK emphasized they apply "personally" solely.

Global Recognition and Reality

If the UK government acknowledges the reality of settler violence and its grave implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still allow settlement produce to be sold in markets and outlets in the UK? If the British leader is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how come he permit the Israeli government to violate its independence with such violent means? Or was the recognition an empty tactic to silence opposition in the UK, a hollow gesture only to be realised in the rebranding of some cartographic representations?

Route Toward True Resolution

A just resolution must respect the basic entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-determination, sovereignty, and liberty from occupation and blockade. Only when each person's dignity between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is honored can we truly say peace has been achieved.

Genuine peace demands an independent Palestinian state next to Israel: this is the sole solution that enjoises agreement among the global community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have applied pressure on the Israeli leader to halt the violence, but he likely only did so because the burden of his relationship with the isolated government of Netanyahu had become excessive. The mass protests across the globe for the freedom of Palestine, and the persistent anti-government protests within the country, are the real factors behind this influence.

It is due to this massive civil movement that a ceasefire has been agreed, the hostages freed, and the people of the territory can enjoy safeguard from destruction. Following the truce arrangement has been signed, it is vital to keep applying this influence. The world has ignored to the atrocities in the strip for many years; it must not repeat the same error in the occupied territories.