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Last Monday, during a joint speech 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 Palestine. We were forcibly ejected from the parliamentary assembly, revealing the fragile state of what's frequently portrayed as the "only democratic state in the Middle East". How can officials talk about regional peace while declining to recognize a population deprived of fundamental liberties and entitlements under long-standing military control?

The Situation in the Occupied West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more evident than in the controlled West Bank. There, talk of peace seem remote and faint, while the frightening sounds of colonist attacks and intimidation persist strongly. Over 30 occurrences of violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians have been documented since the announcement of the US 20-point plan in late September, including physical assaults, stealing of crops, and burning of cars and property.

Targeted Violence During Harvest Season

The increase in violence by colonists is not coincidental. This time marks the start of harvest seasons. More than a vital economic activity, it represents an important social and cultural occasion that shows resilience under military rule. Precisely for these causes, annually colonists attack Palestinians during this crucial period. During the last year's agricultural period, human rights organizations documented 113 distinct cases of violence, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive groves and crops involving Israeli civilians and soldiers, which occurred on territories owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, municipalities, and communities.

Israeli military appeared to have played a larger role in hindering the olive harvest

The human rights group also found that "Israel's military appeared to have had a greater role in obstructing the harvesting season". In about 70% of instances where entry to lands was violently prevented, troops, border police officers, and settler security officials were physically present. They either directly prevented Palestinian farmers from reaching and harvesting their own lands, or neglected to stop settlers who threatened or assaulted them.

Political Support for Settler Activities

This is no shock, as the leader of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an additional minister in the Defense Ministry responsible for the territorial coordination unit. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a special military coordination team uprooted personally-owned olive plants of local residents, claiming missing documentation, but ignored infractions by an unauthorized adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court decided to halt all construction in the outpost, which was constructed on property taken by Israel and unlawfully transferred to settlers.

Takeover Ambitions and International Reaction

In the occupied West Bank, colonist violence is simply a tool used by the government to pursue practical incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a march of thousands of settlers in support of taking over the West Bank. He was reported as stating, "We are continuing to take hold with our feet of the Land of Israel with many settlers, many champions, and hundreds of thousands of colonists who live in this area of the land ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their backers in the Knesset are clear about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the west refrain from meaningful penalties and political actions? Smotrich was penalized by the United Kingdom in the summer, but the effect of the sanction has been limited. He may not be permitted to travel to the United Kingdom and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still enjoys the ministerial power to take lands in the West Bank. Even in the announcement of sanctions, the British government emphasized they apply "personally" only.

Global Recognition and Reality

If the UK government acknowledges the reality of colonist aggression and its grave consequences on Palestinian existence, why does it still permit settlement produce to be marketed in markets and outlets in Britain? If the British leader is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how can he allow the Israeli administration to breach its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the acknowledgment an empty ploy to silence opposition in the United Kingdom, a hollow gesture only to be realised in the rebranding of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to True Peace

A fair resolution must respect the basic rights of the Palestinian people for self-recognition, independence, and freedom from military occupation and siege. Only when every human being's dignity across the river and sea is respected can we truly say peace has been attained.

Genuine resolution requires an sovereign Palestinian state next to Israel: this is the only solution that enjoises agreement among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

The former US president may have inflicted pressure on Netanyahu to stop the violence, but he likely only did so because the burden of his relationship with the pariah regime of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The mass protests throughout the globe for the liberation of Palestine, and the unwavering anti-government demonstrations within the country, are the real forces behind this pressure.

It is thanks to this massive public campaign that a truce has been agreed, the captives freed, and the people of the territory can experience safeguard from destruction. Following the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is crucial to continue maintaining this pressure. The international community has turned a blind eye to the atrocities in Gaza for too long; it must not repeat the same mistake in the occupied territories.