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Last Monday, amid a combined address by American leader Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a sign calling for the acknowledgment of Palestine. We were violently ejected from the parliamentary assembly, revealing the weak state of what's frequently described as the "only democracy in the Middle East". How can leaders speak about Middle East peace while declining to acknowledge a people deprived of basic liberties and rights under decades-long occupation?

The Reality in the West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more evident than in the occupied West Bank. There, talk of peace seem remote and faint, while the frightening echoes of settler violence and intimidation persist strongly. Over 30 incidents of violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians have been recorded since the announcement of the Trump administration's peace proposal in late September, featuring physical assaults, stealing of crops, and burning of cars and property.

Systematic Aggression During Agricultural Period

The increase in settler terrorism is not coincidental. This period marks the beginning of agricultural harvesting. More than a vital economic activity, it constitutes an important communal and cultural moment that shows endurance under military rule. Precisely for these reasons, annually settlers target Palestinian farmers throughout this precious time. During the last year's agricultural period, human rights organizations documented 113 separate cases of violence, harassment, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive trees and produce by Israeli civilians and soldiers, which took place on territories owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, towns, and areas.

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

Yesh Din also discovered that "Israeli security forces seemed to have played a larger role in obstructing the harvesting season". In approximately 70% of instances where entry to farmland was violently blocked, troops, border guards, and settler civilian security coordinators were physically present. They either personally prevented Palestinians from reaching and gathering their own lands, or neglected to prevent settlers who harassed or attacked them.

Government Backing for Colonization

This comes as no surprise, as the leader of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an additional official in the Defense Ministry responsible for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a special military coordination team removed personally-owned olive plants of local residents, citing lack of permits, but ignored infractions by an unauthorized nearby settler outpost. Last week, the local court ruled to halt all building work in the outpost, which was built on lands seized by Israeli authorities and unlawfully given to settlers.

Takeover Ambitions and Global Reaction

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a instrument used by the government to pursue practical incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich led a march of thousands of settlers in support of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We persist to take hold with our presence of the territory with numerous settlers, numerous heroes, and countless of settlers who reside in this part of the territory ... we need to normalise it and make it eternal."

The settlers and their backers in the parliament are clear about their motives and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the west refrain from meaningful sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in the summer, but the effect of the penalty has been limited. He may not be permitted to travel to the United Kingdom and visit the West End, but he still maintains the governmental authority to seize lands in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of sanctions, the British government emphasized they take place "in his personal capacity" only.

International Recognition and Reality

If the British administration recognizes the truth of settler violence and its serious consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still permit goods from settlements to be marketed in stores and shops in the UK? If the British leader is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how come he allow the Israeli government to violate its independence with such aggressive methods? Or was the acknowledgment an empty ploy to shut down dissenting voices in the United Kingdom, a meaningless act only to be realised in the relabeling of some maps?

Pathway to Genuine Resolution

A just peace must respect the fundamental entitlements of the Palestinian population for self-recognition, independence, and freedom from occupation and blockade. Only when every human being's dignity between the river and Mediterranean Sea is honored can we genuinely declare peace has been attained.

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

Trump may have applied influence on Netanyahu to stop the genocide, but he probably only did so because the strain of his connection with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The large demonstrations across the globe for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the persistent opposition demonstrations inside the country, are the real forces behind this influence.

It is thanks to this massive civil movement that a truce has been agreed, the hostages released, and the people of Gaza can enjoy safeguard from annihilation. Following the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is vital to keep applying this influence. The international community has ignored to the atrocities in Gaza for many years; it must not make the same error in the occupied territories.