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Last week, amid a combined speech by US President Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner urging the acknowledgment of Palestine. We were forcibly removed from the parliamentary assembly, exposing the weak state of what's frequently portrayed as the "sole democratic state in the region". How can officials speak about regional peace while refusing to recognize a population denied of fundamental liberties and entitlements under long-standing occupation?

The Reality in the West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more apparent than in the occupied West Bank. There, talk of reconciliation seem remote and faint, while the terrifying sounds of settler violence and terror continue strongly. More than 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinians have been recorded since the announcement of the Trump administration's 20-point plan in late September, including physical assaults, stealing of crops, and burning of cars and property.

Targeted Aggression During Harvest Season

The rise in settler terrorism is deliberate. This time marks the beginning of agricultural harvesting. More than a vital economic activity, it represents an important social and national moment that shows resilience under occupation. Exactly for these causes, year after year colonists target Palestinians during this crucial time. During the 2024 harvest period, rights groups recorded 113 separate cases of aggression, intimidation, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive trees and crops involving settlers and military personnel, which occurred on lands owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, towns, and areas.

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

The human rights group also discovered that "Israeli security forces appeared to have had a greater part in hindering the harvesting season". In about 70% of cases where entry to lands was forcibly blocked, troops, border guards, and settlement civilian security coordinators were physically present. They either personally stopped Palestinian farmers from accessing and harvesting their own lands, or failed to prevent colonists who harassed or attacked them.

Government Support for Colonization

This is no surprise, as the leader of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra official in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In Umm al-Khair, for instance, a particular military coordination team uprooted personally-owned olive trees of local residents, citing missing documentation, but ignored infractions by an unauthorized nearby colonist encampment. 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 Goals and International Response

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is simply a tool used by the administration to achieve de-facto incorporation. Recently, Smotrich led a march of thousands of colonists in support of taking over the West Bank. He was reported as saying, "We are continuing to take hold with our presence of the Land of Israel with numerous settlers, numerous heroes, and hundreds of thousands of colonists who live in this part of the land ... we must to normalize it and establish it permanently."

The settlers and their backers in the parliament are clear about their motives and goals. Why, then, do political leaders in the west hesitate from meaningful sanctions and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was penalized by the United Kingdom in the summer, but the effect of the sanction has been limited. He may not be able to travel to the United Kingdom and visit the West End, but he still maintains the ministerial power to take territories in the West Bank. Even in the announcement of penalties, the UK emphasized they apply "in his personal capacity" only.

Global Recognition and Reality

If the UK government recognizes the reality of colonist aggression and its serious implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still allow goods from settlements to be marketed in stores and outlets in Britain? If the British leader is genuine about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a sovereign entity, how can he permit the Israeli administration to violate its sovereignty with such aggressive methods? Or was the acknowledgment an hollow tactic to shut down opposition in the United Kingdom, a hollow act only to be implemented in the rebranding of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to True Resolution

A just peace must honor the fundamental entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-determination, independence, and freedom from occupation and siege. Only when each human being's dignity across the river and Mediterranean Sea is honored can we genuinely say reconciliation has been attained.

Genuine peace requires an sovereign Palestinian nation alongside Israel: this is the sole solution that has agreement among the international community, the Palestinian leadership, and the Israeli peace advocates.

Trump may have applied pressure on Netanyahu to halt the violence, but he probably only did so because the strain of his connection with the pariah regime of Netanyahu had become excessive. The large demonstrations across the world for the freedom of Palestine, and the unwavering opposition protests inside Israel, are the real factors behind this pressure.

It is due to this massive public campaign that a ceasefire has been signed, the hostages released, and the residents of the territory can enjoy safeguard from destruction. Following the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is vital to keep applying this pressure. The world has turned a blind eye to the atrocities in Gaza for too long; it must not make the same error in the West Bank.