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Last week, during a joint address by American leader Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I raised a sign urging the recognition of Palestine. We were forcibly removed from the parliamentary session, exposing the weak condition of what's often portrayed as the "only democracy in the Middle East". How can officials speak about regional peace while declining to acknowledge a people denied of basic freedoms and entitlements under decades-long military control?

The Reality in the Occupied West Bank

In no place is the deceit more evident than in the controlled West Bank. There, words of peace sound distant and faint, while the terrifying echoes of settler violence and intimidation continue loudly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinians have been documented since the unveiling of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, including attacks, stealing of crops, and torching of vehicles and property.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The rise in violence by colonists is deliberate. This period signals the beginning of harvest seasons. Beyond a vital economic activity, it represents an significant communal and cultural moment that shows resilience under military rule. Precisely for these reasons, annually settlers target Palestinian farmers during this precious period. During the 2024 harvest season, human rights organizations documented 113 separate incidents of violence, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive groves and produce by Israeli civilians and soldiers, which occurred on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian villages, towns, and communities.

Israeli security forces seemed to have had a greater role in hindering the harvesting season

The human rights group also discovered that "Israeli security forces seemed to have played a larger part in obstructing the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of instances where access to lands was forcibly prevented, troops, border guards, and settlement security officials were physically present. They either personally stopped Palestinians from accessing and gathering their own lands, or neglected to prevent colonists who threatened or assaulted them.

Political Support for Colonization

This comes as no shock, as the head of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra official in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a particular COGAT unit removed personally-owned olive trees of Palestinians, claiming lack of permits, but overlooked infractions by an unauthorized nearby colonist encampment. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to stop all construction in the outpost, which was built on property taken by Israeli authorities and unlawfully transferred to colonists.

Annexation Goals and International Response

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a instrument used by the government to pursue practical annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich led a march of thousands of colonists in favor of annexation the West Bank. He was reported as saying, "We persist to establish presence with our feet of the Land of Israel with numerous settlers, many heroes, and countless of settlers who reside in this area of the land ... we need to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The colonists and their backers in the Knesset are clear about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the Western nations hesitate from meaningful penalties and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in June, but the effect of the sanction has been limited. He may not be permitted to travel to the UK and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still maintains the governmental authority to seize territories in the West Bank. Remarkably in the announcement of sanctions, the UK emphasized they apply "in his personal capacity" only.

International Acknowledgment and Actual Situation

If the UK government recognizes the reality of colonist aggression and its serious implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still allow goods from settlements to be marketed in markets and shops in the UK? If the British leader is genuine about recognition of Palestine as a sovereign entity, how come he permit the Israeli administration to breach its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an empty ploy to shut down opposition in the United Kingdom, a meaningless gesture only to be implemented in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to Genuine Peace

A just resolution must respect 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 Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is honored can we genuinely declare reconciliation has been attained.

Genuine resolution requires an sovereign Palestinian nation alongside the Israeli state: this is the only solution that has agreement among the global community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have inflicted influence on Netanyahu to stop the genocide, but he probably only did so because the burden of his connection with the pariah regime of Netanyahu had become excessive. The large demonstrations across the world for the liberation of Palestine, and the persistent anti-government protests within Israel, are the real forces behind this influence.

It is due to this enormous civil movement that a truce has been agreed, the hostages released, and the people of Gaza can experience protection from destruction. After the ceasefire agreement has been finalized, it is crucial to keep applying this pressure. The world has ignored to the atrocities in Gaza for too long; it must not make the same error in the occupied territories.