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Last week, during a joint address by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I displayed a banner urging the recognition of the Palestinian state. We were violently ejected from the legislative session, exposing the weak state of what's frequently portrayed as the "only democracy in the Middle East". How can officials talk about Middle East peace while refusing to recognize a population deprived of basic liberties and entitlements under long-standing occupation?

The Reality in the Occupied West Bank

Nowhere is the hypocrisy more apparent than in the controlled West Bank. There, words of peace seem remote and faint, while the frightening sounds of colonist attacks and intimidation continue loudly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been documented since the announcement of the US 20-point plan in September's end, featuring physical assaults, theft of crops, and burning of vehicles and property.

Systematic Aggression During Agricultural Period

The rise in violence by colonists is not coincidental. This time signals the beginning of agricultural harvesting. More than a crucial economic activity, it constitutes an significant communal and cultural occasion that shows resilience under military rule. Precisely for these reasons, annually colonists attack Palestinians throughout this crucial time. During the 2024 harvest period, rights groups recorded 113 distinct incidents of violence, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive groves and produce involving settlers and military personnel, which took place on lands owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, towns, and areas.

Israeli security forces appeared to have had a greater role in hindering the olive harvest

Yesh Din also discovered that "Israel's military seemed to have played a larger role in obstructing the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of instances where access to lands was violently prevented, soldiers, border guards, and settlement security officials were actually present. They either directly prevented Palestinians from accessing and gathering their own lands, or failed to prevent settlers who threatened or assaulted them.

Political Backing for Settler Activities

This comes as no surprise, as the head of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an additional minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for example, a particular COGAT unit uprooted personally-owned olive trees of Palestinians, claiming lack of permits, but overlooked violations by an illegal nearby settler outpost. Last week, the local court decided to stop all construction in the encampment, which was constructed on property taken by Israel and unlawfully given to settlers.

Takeover Ambitions and International Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a tool used by the administration to achieve de-facto annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a march of many of settlers in support of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as stating, "We persist to take hold with our feet of the Land of Israel with numerous pioneers, many champions, and countless of colonists who reside in this area of the territory ... we need to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their supporters in the parliament are clear about their motives and intentions. Why, then, do political leaders in the west refrain from meaningful penalties and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in the summer, 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 maintains the governmental authority to take territories in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of sanctions, the UK emphasized they take place "in his personal capacity" only.

International Acknowledgment and Reality

If the British administration acknowledges the reality of colonist aggression and its serious implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still permit goods from settlements to be marketed in markets and outlets in the UK? If the British leader is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a sovereign entity, how come he allow the Israeli administration to violate its independence with such violent means? Or was the acknowledgment an empty ploy to shut down dissenting voices in the UK, a hollow act only to be implemented in the relabeling of some maps?

Route Toward Genuine Peace

A fair peace must honor the fundamental entitlements of the Palestinian population for self-determination, independence, and freedom from occupation and blockade. Only when each person's dignity between the river and sea is honored can we truly say peace has been attained.

Genuine peace demands an independent Palestinian nation alongside Israel: this is the sole formula that has consensus among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have applied influence on the Israeli leader to stop the genocide, but he likely only did so because the burden of his connection with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The mass protests throughout the world for the liberation of Palestine, and the unwavering anti-government protests inside the country, are the actual forces behind this influence.

It is due to this massive civil movement that a truce has been signed, the hostages freed, and the people of Gaza can experience safeguard from annihilation. Following the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is crucial to keep maintaining this pressure. The international community has ignored to the violence in the strip for too long; it must not make the same error in the occupied territories.