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Last Monday, amid a combined speech by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, fellow lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I raised a sign calling for the recognition of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly ejected from the legislative assembly, revealing the fragile condition of what's frequently portrayed as the "only democratic state in the region". How can leaders talk about Middle East peace while declining to recognize a population denied of fundamental liberties and entitlements under long-standing occupation?

The Situation in the West Bank

In no place is the deceit more apparent than in the controlled West Bank. There, words of reconciliation seem distant and faint, while the terrifying sounds of settler violence and intimidation persist strongly. More than 30 occurrences of violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians have been recorded since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, featuring physical assaults, stealing of crops, and torching of vehicles and belongings.

Systematic Violence During Harvest Season

The increase in violence by colonists is deliberate. This time signals the beginning of agricultural harvesting. Beyond a vital economic event, it constitutes an significant communal and national occasion that demonstrates resilience under military rule. Precisely for these reasons, annually colonists attack Palestinians during this crucial time. During the last year's agricultural season, rights groups recorded 113 distinct incidents of aggression, harassment, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive groves and crops by settlers and military personnel, which occurred on lands owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, municipalities, and areas.

Israeli military appeared to have had a larger role in obstructing the harvesting season

Yesh Din also discovered that "Israel's security forces seemed to have played a greater part in obstructing the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of cases where entry to farmland was forcibly prevented, troops, border guards, and settlement civilian security coordinators were actually on site. They either directly stopped Palestinian farmers from reaching and harvesting their property, or neglected to stop settlers who harassed or attacked them.

Political Backing for Colonization

This comes as no shock, as the head of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was named as an extra official in the Defense Ministry in charge of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a particular COGAT unit removed personally-owned olive plants of Palestinians, claiming lack of permits, but overlooked 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 lands seized by Israel and unlawfully transferred to settlers.

Takeover Goals and Global Reaction

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a instrument used by the administration to achieve practical incorporation. Earlier this month, Smotrich led a procession of thousands of settlers in support of taking over the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We persist to take hold with our presence of the Land of Israel with many pioneers, many champions, and countless of settlers who reside in this part of the land ... we must to normalize it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their supporters in the parliament are clear about their intentions and intentions. Why, then, do political leaders in the Western nations hesitate from substantial sanctions and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in June, but the impact of the sanction has been minimal. He may not be permitted to travel to the UK and visit the West End, but he still maintains the governmental authority to seize territories in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of sanctions, the UK highlighted they apply "in his personal capacity" solely.

International Acknowledgment and Actual Situation

If the British administration acknowledges the truth of colonist aggression and its grave consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still allow goods from settlements to be marketed in markets and shops in the UK? If the British leader is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a sovereign entity, how can he permit the Israeli government to violate its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the acknowledgment an empty ploy to silence opposition in the UK, a meaningless gesture only to be realised in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to True Peace

A just resolution must respect the fundamental rights of the Palestinian population for self-recognition, sovereignty, and liberty from occupation and siege. Only when each person's worth between the river and sea is respected can we truly declare reconciliation has been achieved.

Genuine peace demands an independent Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state: this is the sole solution that enjoises agreement among the international community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have inflicted influence on Netanyahu to stop the violence, but he probably only did so because the strain of his relationship with the pariah regime of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The mass protests across the globe for the freedom of Palestinian territories, and the unwavering opposition protests inside the country, are the real forces behind this influence.

It is due to this massive public campaign that a ceasefire has been signed, the captives freed, and the residents of the territory can enjoy protection from destruction. Following the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is crucial to continue maintaining this influence. The international community has turned a blind eye to the violence in the strip for many years; it must not repeat the same error in the occupied territories.