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Last week, during a combined address by American leader Donald Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, fellow lawmaker Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner calling for the acknowledgment of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly ejected from the legislative session, exposing the fragile state of what's often portrayed as the "only democratic state in the Middle East". How can leaders talk about Middle East peace while refusing to recognize a people denied of fundamental freedoms 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 weak, while the terrifying echoes of colonist attacks and intimidation persist loudly. Over 30 occurrences of violence by settlers against Palestinians have been documented since the announcement of the Trump administration's peace proposal in September's end, including attacks, stealing of agricultural produce, and torching of cars and belongings.

Targeted Violence During Harvest Season

The rise in settler terrorism is deliberate. This period signals the beginning of harvest seasons. More than a crucial economic activity, it constitutes an important social and national moment that demonstrates resilience under occupation. Precisely for these causes, year after year settlers target Palestinians during this crucial time. During the last year's agricultural period, rights groups recorded 113 distinct incidents of violence, intimidation, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive groves and crops by Israeli civilians and soldiers, which occurred on lands owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, towns, and communities.

Israel's military appeared to have had a larger part in hindering the harvesting season

The human rights group also found that "Israel's military appeared to have had a larger part in obstructing the olive harvest". In approximately 70% of cases where access to lands was forcibly prevented, soldiers, border guards, and settler security officials were actually present. They either personally prevented Palestinian farmers from reaching and harvesting their property, or failed to prevent settlers who threatened or attacked them.

Government Backing for Settler Activities

This comes as no shock, as the leader of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra official in the Ministry of Defence responsible for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In Umm al-Khair, for example, a special military coordination team removed private olive trees of Palestinians, citing missing documentation, but ignored violations by an unauthorized nearby colonist encampment. Last week, the local court decided to halt all construction in the outpost, which was built on lands taken by Israel and illegally transferred to settlers.

Annexation Ambitions and International Reaction

In the occupied West Bank, settler terrorism is nothing but a instrument used by the administration to achieve practical incorporation. Recently, Smotrich headed a march of many of colonists in favor of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as stating, "We persist to take hold with our feet of the territory with many pioneers, many heroes, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this area of the land ... we need to normalise it and make it eternal."

The settlers and their supporters in the Knesset are explicit about their intentions and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the west hesitate from meaningful penalties and political actions? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in June, but the impact 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 maintains the governmental authority to take territories in the West Bank. Even in the declaration of penalties, the British government emphasized they take place "personally" only.

Global Acknowledgment and Actual Situation

If the UK government recognizes the reality of settler violence and its grave implications on Palestinian life, why does it still allow settlement produce to be sold in stores and shops in the UK? If the British leader is serious about recognition of Palestine as a state, how come he allow the Israeli administration to breach its independence with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an hollow ploy to silence dissenting voices in the United Kingdom, a hollow gesture only to be implemented in the relabeling of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to True Resolution

A fair peace must honor the basic entitlements of the Palestinian people for self-determination, independence, and liberty from occupation and siege. Only when every person's worth between the Jordan River and sea is honored can we truly say peace has been achieved.

True peace requires an independent Palestinian nation next to the Israeli state: this is the sole solution that enjoises agreement among the global community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

Trump may have inflicted influence on Netanyahu to halt the violence, but he probably only did so because the strain of his relationship with the isolated government of the Israeli PM had become excessive. The large demonstrations across the world for the freedom of Palestinian territories, and the persistent anti-government protests inside the country, are the actual factors behind this pressure.

It is due to this massive civil movement that a ceasefire has been signed, the hostages released, and the people of the territory can experience safeguard from annihilation. After the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is vital to keep maintaining this pressure. The international community has turned a blind eye to the violence in the strip for too long; it must not make the same mistake in the occupied territories.