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Last week, amid a combined address by American leader Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, colleague parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I displayed a sign urging the recognition of Palestine. We were violently removed from the legislative assembly, exposing the fragile condition of what's often portrayed as the "sole democracy in the Middle East". How can officials talk about Middle East peace while declining to acknowledge a population denied of basic freedoms and rights under long-standing occupation?

The Situation in the Occupied West Bank

In no place is the hypocrisy more apparent than in the controlled West Bank. There, talk of reconciliation seem remote and weak, while the terrifying sounds of settler violence and terror continue loudly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinians have been documented since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, featuring attacks, theft of agricultural produce, and torching of cars and property.

Targeted Violence During Harvest Season

The increase in settler terrorism is deliberate. This period marks the beginning of harvest seasons. More than a vital economic event, it represents an significant communal and cultural occasion that shows resilience under military rule. Precisely for these reasons, annually settlers target Palestinians during this precious period. During the last year's agricultural season, human rights organizations recorded 113 distinct cases of aggression, harassment, preventing harvesting, or destruction to olive groves and crops involving Israeli civilians and soldiers, which took place on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian villages, towns, and areas.

Israeli security forces seemed to have played a larger part in hindering the olive harvest

The human rights group also discovered that "Israel's security forces seemed to have had a greater part in obstructing the harvesting season". In about 70% of cases where access to farmland was violently blocked, soldiers, border guards, and settlement security officials were physically present. They either directly stopped Palestinian farmers from accessing and harvesting their own lands, or failed to prevent settlers who threatened or attacked them.

Political Support for Colonization

This comes as no surprise, as the leader of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra minister in the Ministry of Defence responsible for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a particular military coordination team uprooted private olive plants of local residents, claiming missing documentation, but overlooked violations by an illegal adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to stop all building work in the encampment, which was built on lands taken by Israeli authorities and illegally given to settlers.

Takeover Ambitions and Global Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, colonist violence is simply a tool used by the administration to achieve de-facto annexation. Recently, Smotrich led a procession of many of settlers in support of taking over the West Bank. He was reported as saying, "We are continuing to take hold with our feet of the Land of Israel with many pioneers, many champions, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this part of the territory ... we must to normalize it and establish it permanently."

The colonists and their backers in the parliament are explicit about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the west refrain from substantial penalties and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in June, but the effect of the sanction has been limited. He may not be permitted to go to the UK and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still enjoys the governmental authority to seize lands in the West Bank. Remarkably in the announcement of sanctions, the British government highlighted they apply "personally" only.

Global Acknowledgment and Actual Situation

If the British administration recognizes the reality of settler violence and its grave consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still allow goods from settlements to be marketed in markets and outlets in Britain? If the British leader is genuine about recognition of Palestine as a sovereign entity, how can he allow the Israeli administration to breach its sovereignty with such violent means? Or was the acknowledgment an hollow ploy to silence opposition in the United Kingdom, a hollow act only to be realised in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to True Resolution

A fair resolution must honor the basic entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-recognition, sovereignty, and freedom from occupation and siege. Only when every human being's dignity between the river and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we genuinely declare peace has been achieved.

Genuine peace demands an independent Palestinian nation alongside Israel: this is the only formula that enjoises agreement among the global community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

The former US president may have applied influence on the Israeli leader to stop 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 large demonstrations across the world for the liberation of Palestinian territories, and the persistent anti-government protests inside Israel, are the real forces behind this pressure.

It is due to this massive public campaign that a ceasefire has been agreed, the hostages freed, and the people of Gaza can experience protection from annihilation. After the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is crucial to continue maintaining this influence. The international community has ignored to the violence in Gaza for too long; it must not make the same error in the West Bank.