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Last Monday, amid a joint speech by US President Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I displayed a sign urging the recognition of Palestine. We were violently removed from the parliamentary assembly, revealing the fragile state of what's often described as the "sole democratic state in the region". How can officials talk about Middle East peace while refusing to acknowledge a population denied of fundamental freedoms and entitlements under long-standing occupation?

The Situation in the West Bank

In no place is the deceit more evident than in the controlled West Bank. There, words of peace seem distant and weak, while the frightening sounds of colonist attacks and intimidation continue loudly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinians have been recorded since the unveiling of the US peace proposal in September's end, featuring physical assaults, theft of crops, and burning of vehicles and property.

Systematic Violence During Agricultural Period

The rise in settler terrorism is deliberate. This time marks the start of harvest seasons. More than a vital economic event, it constitutes an significant social and national occasion that shows endurance under military rule. Exactly for these reasons, annually settlers target Palestinian farmers during this crucial period. During the 2024 harvest period, human rights organizations recorded 113 distinct cases of violence, harassment, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive groves and crops involving Israeli civilians and soldiers, which took place on territories owned by 51 Palestinian-owned villages, towns, and communities.

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

The human rights group also discovered that "Israel's security forces seemed to have had a larger part in obstructing the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of cases where entry to lands was violently prevented, troops, border police officers, and settler civilian security coordinators were physically on site. They either personally stopped Palestinian farmers from accessing and harvesting their own lands, or neglected to stop colonists who harassed or attacked them.

Political Backing for Settler Activities

This is no surprise, as the leader of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra official in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In one village, for instance, a special military coordination team removed private olive plants of Palestinians, claiming lack of permits, but overlooked violations by an illegal adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to halt all building work in the outpost, which was built on lands seized by Israeli authorities and illegally given to settlers.

Annexation Goals and International Response

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a instrument used by the administration to achieve practical annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a procession of many 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, many heroes, and hundreds of thousands of colonists who reside in this area of the territory ... we must to normalize it and make it eternal."

The colonists and their backers in the parliament are explicit about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the west refrain from meaningful penalties and political actions? Smotrich was penalized by the UK in the summer, but the impact of the penalty has been limited. He may not be able to go to the UK and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still maintains the governmental authority to seize lands in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of penalties, the British government emphasized they apply "in his personal capacity" solely.

International Recognition and Reality

If the British administration recognizes the reality of colonist aggression and its serious implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still permit settlement produce to be marketed in markets and outlets in the UK? If Starmer is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a sovereign entity, how come he allow the Israeli government to breach its sovereignty with such violent means? Or was the acknowledgment an empty tactic to silence opposition in the United Kingdom, a hollow act only to be realised in the rebranding of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to Genuine Peace

A fair peace must respect the fundamental rights of the Palestinian population for self-recognition, sovereignty, and liberty from military occupation and blockade. Only when each human being's worth between the Jordan River and sea is honored can we truly declare reconciliation has been attained.

Genuine resolution requires an independent Palestinian nation next to the Israeli state: this is the only solution that has consensus among the global community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace advocates.

Trump may have applied influence on the Israeli leader to stop the violence, but he probably only did so because the burden of his connection with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become too great. The large demonstrations throughout the world for the freedom of Palestinian territories, and the persistent anti-government demonstrations inside the country, are the actual factors behind this influence.

It is due to this enormous public campaign that a ceasefire has been signed, the captives released, and the residents of Gaza can enjoy protection from destruction. Following the truce arrangement has been signed, it is vital to keep applying this pressure. The world has turned a blind eye to the violence in the strip for too long; it must not repeat the same mistake in the occupied territories.