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Last Monday, amid a joint address by American leader Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner urging the recognition of Palestine. We were violently ejected from the parliamentary session, revealing the weak condition of what's frequently portrayed as the "only democracy in the region". How can officials speak about regional peace while declining to recognize a population deprived of basic freedoms and entitlements under decades-long military control?

The Reality in the West Bank

In no place is the hypocrisy more evident than in the controlled West Bank. There, words of reconciliation sound remote and weak, while the terrifying echoes of colonist attacks and terror persist strongly. More than 30 incidents of violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians have been recorded since the unveiling of the Trump administration's peace proposal in September's end, featuring attacks, theft of agricultural produce, and torching of cars and belongings.

Targeted Violence During Harvest Season

The increase in violence by colonists is not coincidental. This period marks the beginning of agricultural harvesting. More than a vital economic event, it represents an important communal and cultural moment that demonstrates resilience under occupation. Precisely for these causes, year after year colonists attack Palestinian farmers throughout this precious time. During the last year's agricultural period, rights groups recorded 113 distinct cases of aggression, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or destruction to olive trees and produce involving Israeli civilians and military personnel, which took place on lands owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, towns, and areas.

Israeli security forces seemed to have had a greater part in hindering the olive harvest

Yesh Din also discovered that "Israel's security forces seemed to have had a greater part in hindering the harvesting season". In approximately 70% of cases where entry to lands was violently prevented, troops, border guards, and settler civilian security coordinators were actually present. They either directly prevented Palestinian farmers from reaching and gathering their property, or failed to stop colonists who threatened or attacked them.

Political Backing for Colonization

This comes as no surprise, 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 Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for example, a particular COGAT unit 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 decided to stop all construction in the outpost, which was constructed on lands taken by Israel and unlawfully given to settlers.

Takeover Ambitions and Global Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a instrument used by the government to pursue de-facto annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich led a procession of many of colonists in support of annexation the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We are continuing to establish presence with our feet of the Land of Israel with numerous settlers, many heroes, and countless of settlers who live in this part of the territory ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their supporters in the Knesset are clear about their motives and intentions. Why, then, do government officials in the west hesitate from meaningful sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in June, but the impact of the sanction has been minimal. 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 take territories in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of penalties, the UK emphasized they take place "personally" solely.

Global Recognition and Reality

If the UK government recognizes the truth of colonist aggression and its grave implications on Palestinian life, why does it still allow goods from settlements to be sold in markets and outlets in the UK? If the British leader is genuine about recognition of Palestine as a sovereign entity, how can he permit the Israeli administration to violate its independence with such violent means? Or was the acknowledgment an hollow tactic to silence opposition in the United Kingdom, a hollow act only to be realised in the rebranding of some cartographic representations?

Route Toward True Peace

A fair resolution must honor the fundamental entitlements of the Palestinian population for self-determination, independence, and liberty from occupation and blockade. Only when every human being's dignity across the Jordan River and sea is honored can we truly say peace has been achieved.

True resolution requires an independent Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state: this is the sole solution that enjoises agreement among the global community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have inflicted influence on Netanyahu to stop the violence, but he likely only did so because the burden of his relationship with the isolated government of Netanyahu had become too great. The large demonstrations throughout the globe for the freedom of Palestinian territories, and the persistent anti-government protests inside Israel, are the actual forces behind this pressure.

It is thanks to this enormous public campaign that a truce has been agreed, the captives freed, and the residents of the territory can experience safeguard from destruction. Following the truce arrangement has been signed, it is crucial to keep maintaining this pressure. The international community has ignored to the atrocities in the strip for many years; it must not repeat the same mistake in the occupied territories.