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Last Monday, during a joint address by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I displayed a sign calling for the recognition of the Palestinian state. We were violently ejected from the legislative session, revealing the fragile state of what's often described as the "sole democracy in the region". How can leaders talk about regional peace while declining to recognize a population deprived of basic freedoms and entitlements under decades-long occupation?

The Situation in the West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, words of peace seem distant and faint, while the terrifying sounds of settler violence and intimidation persist strongly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinians have been documented since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, including attacks, theft of crops, and burning of cars and belongings.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The increase in violence by colonists is deliberate. This period signals the beginning of agricultural harvesting. Beyond a crucial economic activity, it constitutes an important communal and cultural occasion that demonstrates endurance under occupation. Precisely for these reasons, annually settlers target Palestinians during this precious period. During the 2024 harvest season, rights groups documented 113 distinct cases of violence, harassment, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive groves and produce by Israeli civilians and soldiers, which took place on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian-owned villages, towns, and communities.

Israel's security forces seemed to have had a greater role in hindering the olive harvest

Yesh Din also discovered that "Israeli military seemed to have had a larger part in obstructing the harvesting season". In about 70% of cases where entry to lands was violently prevented, soldiers, border guards, and settlement security officials were physically on site. They either personally prevented Palestinian farmers from accessing and gathering their property, or neglected to prevent settlers who threatened or attacked them.

Government Support for Colonization

This is no shock, as the leader of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an additional official in the Ministry of Defence responsible for the territorial coordination unit. In one village, for instance, a special military coordination team removed private olive trees of local residents, claiming missing documentation, but overlooked infractions by an unauthorized nearby settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court decided to stop all construction in the encampment, which was constructed on property seized by Israel and illegally given to settlers.

Annexation Goals and International Response

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a instrument used by the government to pursue de-facto annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a procession of many of settlers in favor of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We persist to establish presence with our presence of the territory with numerous pioneers, numerous heroes, and countless of settlers who reside in this area of the territory ... we need to normalise it and make it eternal."

The colonists and their supporters in the parliament are clear about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the west hesitate from meaningful penalties and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in June, but the impact of the penalty has been minimal. He may not be permitted to go to the UK and tour the West End, but he still maintains the ministerial power to seize territories in the West Bank. Even in the announcement of sanctions, the UK emphasized they apply "personally" solely.

Global Recognition and Reality

If the British administration acknowledges the truth of settler violence and its serious consequences on Palestinian existence, why does it still permit goods from settlements to be sold in stores and outlets in Britain? If the British leader is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how can he allow the Israeli administration to violate its sovereignty with such violent means? Or was the acknowledgment an empty tactic to silence opposition in the UK, a hollow gesture only to be implemented in the rebranding of some cartographic representations?

Route Toward Genuine Resolution

A just resolution must honor the basic entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-recognition, independence, and freedom from military occupation and blockade. Only when every person's worth between the river and sea is respected can we genuinely say reconciliation has been achieved.

True peace demands an independent Palestinian nation next to Israel: this is the sole formula that enjoises consensus among the international community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have inflicted pressure on Netanyahu to stop the violence, but he likely only did so because the strain of his relationship with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become too great. The large demonstrations throughout the world for the freedom of Palestine, and the unwavering opposition protests inside Israel, are the actual factors behind this pressure.

It is due to this massive civil movement that a truce has been signed, the hostages released, and the residents of the territory can experience safeguard from destruction. After the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is crucial to continue maintaining this pressure. The international community has ignored to the violence in the strip for many years; it must not make the same error in the occupied territories.