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Last Monday, amid a combined address by US President Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I displayed a sign calling for the acknowledgment of Palestine. We were forcibly removed from the parliamentary assembly, exposing the fragile state of what's often described as the "only democratic state in the region". How can leaders talk about Middle East peace while declining to recognize a people denied of fundamental liberties and rights under long-standing military control?

The Situation in the West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, talk of reconciliation seem remote and weak, while the terrifying sounds of settler violence and terror continue loudly. Over 30 occurrences of violence by settlers against Palestinians have been recorded since the unveiling of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in September's end, including physical assaults, stealing of crops, and burning of cars and property.

Systematic Violence During Agricultural Period

The rise in settler terrorism is deliberate. This time signals the start of harvest seasons. More than a vital economic event, it represents an significant communal and cultural occasion that shows endurance under occupation. Precisely for these reasons, year after year colonists attack Palestinians throughout this precious time. During the last year's agricultural season, human rights organizations documented 113 separate cases of violence, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or destruction to olive groves and produce involving Israeli civilians and soldiers, which occurred on territories owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, municipalities, and areas.

Israeli security forces appeared to have had a greater role in obstructing the harvesting season

The human rights group also discovered that "Israel's military appeared to have played a greater part in hindering the harvesting season". In about 70% of instances where entry to lands was violently prevented, soldiers, border guards, and settler civilian security coordinators were actually present. They either personally stopped Palestinians from accessing and gathering their property, or neglected to prevent settlers who threatened or assaulted them.

Political Backing for Colonization

This is no surprise, as the leader of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra official in the Ministry of Defence responsible for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a special military coordination team removed private olive trees of local residents, citing missing documentation, but overlooked violations by an unauthorized adjacent colonist encampment. Last week, the Jerusalem district court decided to halt all construction in the encampment, which was built on property taken by Israel and unlawfully given to colonists.

Annexation Goals and International Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a tool used by the government to pursue de-facto incorporation. Recently, Smotrich led a procession of thousands of settlers in favor of taking over the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We persist to take hold with our feet of the Land of Israel with numerous pioneers, numerous heroes, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this area of the territory ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The colonists and their backers in the parliament are clear about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the west refrain from substantial penalties and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was penalized by the UK in June, but the effect of the sanction has been minimal. He may not be permitted to travel to the United Kingdom and visit the West End, but he still enjoys the governmental authority to seize lands in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of penalties, the British government highlighted they apply "personally" only.

Global Recognition and Actual Situation

If the UK government acknowledges the truth of settler violence and its grave consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still permit settlement produce to be sold in stores and outlets in Britain? If Starmer 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 acknowledgment an empty ploy to shut down opposition in the United Kingdom, a meaningless act only to be implemented in the relabeling of some maps?

Pathway to True Resolution

A just peace must honor the basic rights of the Palestinian people for self-determination, independence, and freedom from occupation and blockade. Only when every person's worth between the Jordan River and sea is respected can we genuinely declare peace has been achieved.

True resolution requires an sovereign Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state: this is the only solution that has consensus among the global community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace advocates.

Trump may have applied influence on Netanyahu to halt the genocide, but he probably only did so because the strain of his relationship with the pariah regime of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The large demonstrations throughout the world for the freedom of Palestinian territories, and the unwavering opposition protests inside Israel, are the actual forces behind this influence.

It is due to this massive public campaign that a ceasefire has been agreed, the hostages freed, and the residents of the territory can enjoy protection from annihilation. After the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is crucial to continue maintaining this influence. The international community has ignored to the violence in Gaza for too long; it must not make the same error in the West Bank.