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Last Monday, amid a combined speech by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, colleague parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a sign calling for the recognition of Palestine. We were forcibly removed from the legislative session, revealing the fragile state of what's frequently portrayed as the "sole democracy in the region". How can leaders speak about regional peace while declining to acknowledge a people denied of basic liberties and rights under decades-long military control?

The Reality in the West Bank

In no place is the hypocrisy more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, words of reconciliation sound distant and weak, while the frightening sounds of settler violence and intimidation continue strongly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been recorded since the announcement of the US 20-point plan in late September, including attacks, stealing of crops, and torching of vehicles and belongings.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The increase in violence by colonists is deliberate. This period signals the start of agricultural harvesting. Beyond a vital economic activity, it constitutes an important social and national occasion that demonstrates endurance under military rule. Precisely for these causes, year after year colonists target Palestinians during this precious time. During the 2024 harvest season, rights groups documented 113 distinct incidents of aggression, harassment, harvest-thwarting, or destruction to olive groves and crops involving settlers and soldiers, which occurred on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian-owned villages, towns, and areas.

Israel's security forces seemed to have played a larger role in hindering the harvesting season

The human rights group also discovered that "Israeli security forces appeared to have played a larger role in hindering the olive harvest". In about 70% of instances where entry to farmland was forcibly blocked, troops, border police officers, and settlement security officials were physically present. They either directly prevented Palestinian farmers from reaching and gathering their own lands, or failed to prevent colonists who harassed or attacked them.

Political Support for Settler Activities

This comes as no shock, as the leader of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra official in the Defense Ministry in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a particular military coordination team removed personally-owned olive plants of Palestinians, citing lack of permits, but overlooked infractions by an unauthorized adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court decided to stop all construction in the outpost, which was constructed on property taken by Israeli authorities and illegally transferred to colonists.

Annexation Ambitions and Global Response

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a tool used by the administration to achieve practical incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a procession of many of settlers in favor of annexation the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We are continuing to take hold with our presence of the Land of Israel with many pioneers, many heroes, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this area of the territory ... we must to normalize 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 west refrain from meaningful penalties and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in June, but the impact of the sanction has been limited. He may not be permitted to travel to the UK and visit the West End, but he still enjoys the governmental authority to take lands in the West Bank. Remarkably in the announcement of penalties, the British government emphasized they take place "personally" only.

Global Acknowledgment and Actual Situation

If the British administration acknowledges the reality of settler violence and its grave consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still allow settlement produce to be sold in markets and shops in the UK? If Starmer is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a sovereign entity, how can he allow the Israeli government to violate its independence with such violent means? Or was the acknowledgment an hollow tactic to shut down dissenting voices in the UK, a hollow act only to be realised in the rebranding of some maps?

Route Toward True Resolution

A just peace must respect the basic entitlements of the Palestinian population for self-determination, independence, and freedom from military occupation and siege. Only when each human being's worth between the river and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we truly say peace has been attained.

True peace demands an independent Palestinian state next to the Israeli state: this is the only formula that has agreement among the global community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace advocates.

The former US president may have inflicted influence on the Israeli leader to halt the violence, but he likely only did so because the burden of his connection with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The large demonstrations throughout the world for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the unwavering anti-government demonstrations inside the country, are the actual factors behind this influence.

It is thanks to this massive civil movement that a ceasefire has been agreed, the hostages freed, and the people of Gaza can enjoy safeguard from destruction. Following the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is crucial to continue maintaining this influence. The international community has ignored to the violence in the strip for many years; it must not repeat the same mistake in the occupied territories.