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Last Monday, during a combined speech by American leader Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, colleague parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a sign calling for the recognition of Palestine. We were violently ejected from the parliamentary session, exposing the fragile condition of what's often described as the "sole democracy in the region". How can leaders talk about Middle East peace while declining to recognize a people denied of fundamental liberties and entitlements under long-standing military control?

The Situation in the Occupied West Bank

In no place is the deceit more apparent than in the controlled West Bank. There, talk of peace seem distant and weak, while the terrifying sounds of settler violence and terror continue strongly. More than 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been documented since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, including attacks, stealing of crops, and torching of cars and belongings.

Systematic Aggression During Harvest Season

The increase in settler terrorism is deliberate. This time signals the beginning of agricultural harvesting. Beyond a vital economic activity, it represents an significant social and cultural occasion that demonstrates endurance under occupation. Exactly for these causes, annually colonists attack Palestinian farmers throughout this precious time. During the last year's agricultural season, rights groups documented 113 distinct incidents of aggression, harassment, harvest-thwarting, or destruction to olive trees and produce involving settlers and soldiers, which occurred on territories owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, towns, and communities.

Israel's military seemed to have played a larger role in hindering the olive harvest

Yesh Din also discovered that "Israel's military appeared to have played a larger part in obstructing the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of cases where entry to lands was forcibly blocked, soldiers, border guards, and settler security officials were actually present. They either directly stopped Palestinians from reaching and gathering their property, or neglected to prevent settlers who harassed or attacked them.

Government Support for Colonization

This comes as no shock, as the head of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an additional minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In one village, for instance, a special COGAT unit removed private olive plants of local residents, citing missing documentation, but overlooked violations by an unauthorized adjacent colonist encampment. Last week, the local court ruled to halt all building work in the outpost, which was built on lands seized by Israeli authorities and illegally transferred to settlers.

Takeover Goals and Global Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, colonist violence is simply a instrument used by the government to pursue de-facto incorporation. Recently, Smotrich led a procession of thousands of settlers in support of taking over the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We persist to take hold with our feet of the Land of Israel with numerous pioneers, numerous heroes, and hundreds of thousands of colonists who reside in this area of the territory ... we need to normalize it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their backers in the Knesset are clear about their motives and goals. Why, then, do political leaders in the west refrain from substantial penalties and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was penalized by the UK in June, but the effect of the penalty has been minimal. He may not be able to go to the United Kingdom and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still enjoys the ministerial power to seize lands in the West Bank. Remarkably in the announcement of penalties, the UK emphasized they apply "in his personal capacity" only.

Global Recognition and Actual Situation

If the UK government recognizes the reality of colonist aggression and its serious implications on Palestinian life, why does it still allow settlement produce to be sold in markets and shops in Britain? If the British leader is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how come he allow the Israeli government to breach its sovereignty with such violent means? Or was the recognition an hollow ploy to silence opposition in the UK, a hollow act only to be realised in the rebranding of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to Genuine Resolution

A fair resolution must honor 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 Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is honored can we genuinely declare peace has been attained.

Genuine peace demands an independent Palestinian state next to the Israeli state: this is the only solution that has agreement among the international community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace advocates.

The former US president may have applied influence on Netanyahu to halt the violence, but he probably only did so because the burden of his relationship with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The mass protests across the world for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the persistent opposition protests within the country, are the actual factors behind this influence.

It is thanks to this enormous public campaign that a ceasefire has been agreed, the hostages freed, and the residents of the territory can enjoy safeguard from annihilation. Following the truce arrangement has been signed, it is vital to continue maintaining this pressure. The world has turned a blind eye to the violence in the strip for many years; it must not make the same mistake in the West Bank.