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Last week, amid a combined speech by US President Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I displayed a banner urging the recognition of Palestine. We were violently ejected from the legislative session, exposing the weak state of what's often portrayed as the "only democracy in the region". How can officials speak about Middle East peace while refusing to acknowledge a people denied of basic freedoms and rights under decades-long occupation?

The Reality in the Occupied West Bank

In no place is the deceit more apparent than in the controlled West Bank. There, words of reconciliation sound distant and weak, while the frightening echoes of colonist attacks and intimidation persist strongly. More than 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinians have been documented since the announcement of the Trump administration's peace proposal in late September, including attacks, theft of agricultural produce, and torching of vehicles and belongings.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The increase in violence by colonists is deliberate. This period marks the beginning of agricultural harvesting. More than a crucial economic activity, it constitutes an important social and national moment that demonstrates resilience under occupation. Precisely for these causes, annually colonists attack Palestinians during this precious time. During the 2024 harvest period, rights groups recorded 113 separate cases of aggression, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or destruction to olive trees and produce by Israeli civilians and military personnel, which occurred on lands belonging to 51 Palestinian-owned communities, municipalities, and communities.

Israeli security forces seemed to have played a greater part in obstructing the harvesting season

Yesh Din also found that "Israel's military appeared to have had a greater role in hindering the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of cases where access to lands was violently blocked, soldiers, border guards, and settlement civilian security coordinators were physically present. They either directly prevented Palestinians from reaching and gathering their property, or failed to stop settlers who harassed or assaulted them.

Government Support for Colonization

This comes as no shock, as the leader of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an additional minister in the Ministry of Defence responsible for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In one village, for instance, a particular COGAT unit uprooted private olive plants of local residents, claiming lack of permits, but ignored infractions by an unauthorized adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the local court ruled to stop all construction in the encampment, which was constructed on property seized by Israeli authorities and illegally transferred to settlers.

Annexation Goals and Global Response

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a tool used by the administration to pursue practical annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich led a march of many of colonists in support of annexation the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We are continuing to take hold with our presence of the territory with many pioneers, many champions, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this part of the territory ... we need to normalise it and make it eternal."

The colonists and their supporters in the Knesset are explicit about their intentions and goals. Why, then, do political leaders in the Western nations refrain from meaningful sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was penalized by the UK in the summer, but the impact of the sanction has been minimal. He may not be able to go to the UK and visit the London's entertainment district, but he still enjoys 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" solely.

Global Acknowledgment and Actual Situation

If the British administration recognizes the reality of settler violence and its serious implications on Palestinian life, why does it still allow goods from settlements to be sold in stores and outlets in the UK? If the British leader is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a sovereign entity, how can he allow the Israeli government to violate its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an empty tactic to silence dissenting voices in the UK, a meaningless act only to be implemented in the relabeling of some maps?

Pathway to Genuine Resolution

A just resolution must respect the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people for self-recognition, sovereignty, and liberty from military occupation and blockade. Only when each human being's dignity between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we truly declare reconciliation has been achieved.

Genuine peace requires an independent Palestinian nation alongside Israel: this is the sole solution that enjoises agreement 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 likely only did so because the burden of his connection with the isolated government of Netanyahu had become excessive. The mass protests throughout the world for the freedom of Palestine, and the persistent opposition protests inside Israel, are the actual factors behind this influence.

It is thanks to this enormous public campaign that a ceasefire has been signed, the hostages freed, and the people of the territory can enjoy protection from destruction. Following the truce arrangement has been signed, it is vital to keep maintaining this pressure. The world has ignored to the atrocities in Gaza for many years; it must not make the same error in the occupied territories.