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Last Monday, amid a joint address by American leader Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, colleague parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner calling for the acknowledgment of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly ejected from the parliamentary assembly, revealing the fragile state of what's frequently portrayed as the "only democracy in the region". How can officials speak about Middle East peace while refusing to recognize a population deprived of fundamental liberties and entitlements under long-standing occupation?

The Situation in the West Bank

Nowhere is the hypocrisy more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, words of peace seem distant and faint, while the frightening echoes of colonist attacks and intimidation persist strongly. Over 30 occurrences of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been documented since the unveiling of the US peace proposal in late September, featuring attacks, stealing of agricultural produce, and burning of vehicles and belongings.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The rise in settler terrorism is not coincidental. This period marks the beginning of agricultural harvesting. More than a vital economic event, it constitutes an important communal and cultural occasion that demonstrates endurance under military rule. Precisely for these causes, year after year colonists target Palestinian farmers during this crucial period. During the last year's agricultural period, rights groups recorded 113 separate cases of aggression, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive trees and produce involving settlers and military personnel, which took place on lands belonging to 51 Palestinian villages, towns, and areas.

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

The human rights group also found that "Israeli military appeared to have played a greater role in obstructing the harvesting season". In about 70% of cases where access to farmland was forcibly blocked, soldiers, border guards, and settlement security officials were actually on site. They either personally prevented Palestinian farmers from reaching and harvesting their property, or neglected to prevent colonists who harassed or attacked them.

Government Support for Settler Activities

This comes as no surprise, as the head of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra minister in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for example, a particular military coordination team removed personally-owned olive plants of local residents, claiming missing documentation, but overlooked violations by an unauthorized adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to halt all building work in the outpost, which was constructed on lands seized by Israeli authorities and illegally transferred to colonists.

Takeover Ambitions and International Response

In the occupied West Bank, colonist violence is nothing but a instrument used by the government to achieve de-facto annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a march of many of colonists in support of annexation the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We persist to establish presence with our presence of the territory with many pioneers, numerous champions, and countless of settlers who reside in this part of the land ... we need to normalise it and make it eternal."

The settlers and their backers in the Knesset are explicit about their motives and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the Western nations hesitate from substantial sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in the summer, but the effect of the sanction has been limited. He may not be permitted to go to the United Kingdom and visit the West End, but he still maintains the ministerial power to seize lands in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of penalties, the British government emphasized they take place "personally" solely.

International Acknowledgment and Reality

If the UK government acknowledges the reality of colonist aggression and its serious consequences on Palestinian existence, why does it still permit goods from settlements to be sold in markets and shops in Britain? If the British leader is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a sovereign entity, how come he allow the Israeli administration to breach its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the acknowledgment an empty tactic to shut down dissenting voices in the UK, a hollow gesture only to be implemented in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to Genuine Resolution

A fair resolution must respect the basic entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-recognition, sovereignty, and freedom from occupation and siege. Only when each person's dignity across the river and sea is respected can we genuinely declare reconciliation has been achieved.

True resolution requires an independent Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state: this is the only formula that has agreement among the international community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace advocates.

The former US president may have applied pressure on the Israeli leader to halt the genocide, but he likely only did so because the burden of his connection with the pariah regime of Netanyahu had become too great. The mass protests throughout the world for the liberation of Palestine, and the unwavering anti-government protests inside the country, are the actual factors behind this pressure.

It is thanks to this massive civil movement that a ceasefire has been agreed, the hostages released, and the people of the territory can experience protection from annihilation. Following the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is vital to keep applying this pressure. The world has turned a blind eye to the atrocities in the strip for many years; it must not repeat the same error in the West Bank.