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Last week, amid a joint address by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I displayed a banner urging the acknowledgment of Palestine. We were forcibly ejected from the legislative assembly, exposing the weak state of what's frequently portrayed as the "sole democratic state in the region". How can leaders speak about Middle East peace while refusing to acknowledge a population deprived of fundamental liberties and rights under long-standing occupation?

The Situation in the West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more evident than in the occupied West Bank. There, talk of peace sound remote and faint, while the terrifying echoes of settler violence and terror continue loudly. More than 30 occurrences of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been recorded since the announcement of the US peace proposal in September's end, including attacks, theft of crops, and burning of vehicles and property.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The increase in violence by colonists is deliberate. This time signals the beginning of harvest seasons. More than a vital economic activity, it constitutes an important communal and national occasion that demonstrates resilience under occupation. Precisely for these reasons, year after year settlers target Palestinians during this crucial period. During the last year's agricultural season, human rights organizations recorded 113 separate cases of violence, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or destruction to olive groves and crops involving Israeli civilians and military personnel, which took place on lands belonging to 51 Palestinian communities, municipalities, and areas.

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

The human rights group also found that "Israel's security forces appeared to have played a larger role in hindering the harvesting season". In about 70% of cases where entry to lands was forcibly blocked, troops, border police officers, and settlement civilian security coordinators were actually on site. They either directly stopped Palestinians from reaching and gathering their property, or neglected to stop colonists who harassed or attacked them.

Government Backing for Colonization

This comes as no surprise, as the head of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an additional official in the Defense Ministry in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In one village, for instance, a particular COGAT unit uprooted private olive plants of local residents, claiming lack of permits, but ignored violations by an unauthorized nearby settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court decided to halt all building work in the outpost, which was constructed on lands seized by Israel and illegally transferred to settlers.

Takeover Ambitions and Global Response

In the controlled West Bank, colonist violence is simply a instrument used by the government to achieve practical annexation. Recently, Smotrich headed a procession of thousands of settlers in favor of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as stating, "We persist to establish presence with our presence of the territory with numerous settlers, many heroes, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this part of the territory ... we need to normalise it and make it eternal."

The colonists and their supporters in the parliament are clear about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do political leaders in the west refrain from meaningful sanctions and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in the summer, but the effect 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 seize territories in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of sanctions, the British government emphasized they take place "personally" solely.

Global Acknowledgment and Actual Situation

If the British administration recognizes the truth of settler violence and its grave consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still permit settlement produce to be marketed in stores and shops in the UK? If Starmer is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how can he allow the Israeli administration to breach its independence with such violent means? Or was the recognition an empty tactic to silence dissenting voices in the UK, a meaningless gesture only to be realised in the relabeling of some maps?

Pathway to Genuine Resolution

A just resolution must respect the basic entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-determination, independence, and liberty from occupation and siege. Only when every person's worth across the river and sea is respected can we genuinely say reconciliation has been achieved.

True resolution requires an independent Palestinian nation next to the Israeli state: this is the only formula that enjoises agreement among the international community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have inflicted influence on the Israeli leader to stop the violence, but he likely only did so because the strain of his relationship with the isolated government of Netanyahu had become too great. The large demonstrations across the world for the liberation of Palestine, and the persistent anti-government protests inside Israel, are the actual forces behind this pressure.

It is thanks to this massive civil movement that a truce has been agreed, the hostages released, and the residents of the territory can enjoy safeguard from destruction. After the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is crucial to continue maintaining this pressure. The world has turned a blind eye to the violence in the strip for many years; it must not repeat the same error in the West Bank.