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Last Monday, amid a joint speech by American leader Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a sign urging the recognition of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly removed from the legislative assembly, exposing the fragile state of what's frequently described as the "only democratic state in the region". How can officials speak about regional peace while declining to acknowledge a people deprived of basic freedoms and rights under decades-long occupation?

The Situation in the West Bank

In no place is the hypocrisy more evident than in the occupied West Bank. There, talk of peace seem remote and weak, while the terrifying echoes of settler violence and terror persist loudly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinians have been documented since the unveiling of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in September's end, including attacks, theft of agricultural produce, and torching of vehicles and property.

Systematic Aggression During Harvest Season

The increase in violence by colonists is not coincidental. This time signals the beginning of agricultural harvesting. Beyond a vital economic event, it constitutes an important communal and cultural moment that shows endurance under occupation. Precisely for these causes, annually settlers target Palestinians during this crucial period. During the last year's agricultural period, rights groups recorded 113 distinct incidents of violence, harassment, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive trees and produce involving settlers and soldiers, which occurred on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian villages, towns, and areas.

Israel's military appeared to have played a greater role in hindering the harvesting season

The human rights group also found that "Israel's security forces seemed to have had a larger role in hindering the harvesting season". In about 70% of instances where entry to lands was forcibly prevented, soldiers, border guards, and settler security officials were physically present. They either directly prevented Palestinians from accessing and harvesting their own lands, or failed to stop settlers who threatened or assaulted them.

Government Backing for Colonization

This comes as no shock, as the head of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a special military coordination team removed private olive trees of Palestinians, claiming missing documentation, but overlooked infractions by an unauthorized nearby settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to stop all construction in the outpost, which was built on lands taken by Israeli authorities and unlawfully transferred to colonists.

Takeover Ambitions and Global Response

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a instrument used by the administration to achieve de-facto incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a procession of thousands of colonists in support of taking over the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We are continuing to establish presence with our feet of the Land of Israel with many settlers, numerous champions, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this area of the land ... we must to normalize it and make it eternal."

The colonists and their backers in the parliament are explicit about their motives and intentions. Why, then, do political leaders in the Western nations refrain from meaningful penalties and political actions? Smotrich was penalized by the United Kingdom in June, but the effect of the sanction has been limited. He may not be able to travel to the UK and visit the London's entertainment district, but he still enjoys the governmental authority to take lands in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of penalties, the UK emphasized they take place "personally" only.

International Acknowledgment and Reality

If the British administration acknowledges the truth of settler violence and its grave implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still permit goods from settlements to be marketed in stores and shops in the UK? If the British leader is serious about recognition of Palestine as a sovereign entity, how can he allow the Israeli administration to violate its sovereignty with such violent means? Or was the acknowledgment an hollow ploy to silence dissenting voices in the UK, a hollow act only to be realised in the rebranding of some maps?

Pathway to Genuine Peace

A fair resolution must respect the basic entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-determination, sovereignty, and freedom from military occupation and siege. Only when each person's worth between the river and sea is honored can we genuinely say peace has been attained.

True peace requires an sovereign Palestinian nation next to Israel: this is the only solution that has agreement among the international community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have applied pressure on Netanyahu to halt the genocide, but he probably only did so because the strain of his relationship with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The large demonstrations across the globe for the freedom of Palestine, and the unwavering anti-government protests within Israel, are the real factors behind this pressure.

It is due to this massive civil movement that a truce has been agreed, the hostages freed, and the residents of the territory can experience protection from destruction. Following the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is vital to continue maintaining this pressure. The world has ignored to the atrocities in Gaza for too long; it must not make the same mistake in the occupied territories.