While International Attention Stays on Gaza, Israel's Colonists in the West Bank Continue Operating With Impunity

Last Monday, during a joint 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 urging the recognition of Palestine. We were forcibly removed from the parliamentary assembly, exposing the weak state of what's frequently described as the "sole democratic state in the region". How can leaders speak about Middle East peace while refusing to recognize a population denied of fundamental liberties and rights under long-standing military control?

The Reality in the West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more evident than in the occupied West Bank. There, words of reconciliation seem remote and faint, while the terrifying sounds of settler violence and terror continue loudly. More than 30 incidents of violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians have been documented since the unveiling of the US peace proposal in late September, featuring physical assaults, theft of crops, and torching of vehicles and belongings.

Targeted Violence During Agricultural Period

The increase in settler terrorism is not coincidental. This period signals the beginning of harvest seasons. More than a crucial economic activity, it represents an significant social and national moment that demonstrates endurance under military rule. Precisely for these reasons, annually settlers attack Palestinian farmers during this crucial time. During the last year's agricultural season, rights groups documented 113 separate cases of violence, harassment, preventing harvesting, or damage to olive trees and produce involving Israeli civilians and military personnel, which took place on territories owned by 51 Palestinian-owned communities, towns, and areas.

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

Yesh Din also found that "Israel's military seemed to have played a larger part in hindering the harvesting season". In about 70% of instances where access to lands was violently prevented, troops, border police officers, and settlement civilian security coordinators were physically present. They either personally prevented Palestinian farmers from accessing and gathering their property, or neglected to prevent settlers who harassed or assaulted them.

Political Backing for Colonization

This is no surprise, as the leader of the colonists' political movement, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an extra minister in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the territorial coordination unit. In Umm al-Khair, for example, a special military coordination team uprooted private olive trees of Palestinians, claiming lack of permits, but ignored infractions by an unauthorized adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court decided to stop all building work in the encampment, which was built on property taken by Israel and unlawfully transferred to settlers.

Annexation Goals and International Reaction

In the controlled West Bank, colonist violence is simply a instrument used by the government to achieve de-facto incorporation. Recently, Smotrich headed a march of thousands of settlers in favor of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as stating, "We are continuing to take hold with our presence of the Land of Israel with numerous pioneers, numerous heroes, and countless of colonists who reside in this area of the land ... we must to normalize it and make it eternal."

The settlers and their backers in the parliament are explicit about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the west hesitate from substantial penalties and diplomatic measures? Smotrich was sanctioned by the UK in the summer, but the effect of the penalty has been limited. He may not be able to go to the United Kingdom and visit the London's entertainment district, but he still maintains the governmental authority to take lands in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of penalties, the UK emphasized they apply "in his personal capacity" only.

Global Acknowledgment and Reality

If the British administration acknowledges the reality of settler violence and its serious consequences on Palestinian life, why does it still allow settlement produce to be marketed in stores and outlets in the UK? If Starmer is serious about acknowledging Palestinian statehood as a state, how come he allow the Israeli administration to violate its independence with such aggressive methods? Or was the recognition an empty ploy to shut down dissenting voices in the UK, a hollow gesture only to be implemented in the rebranding of some maps?

Route Toward True Resolution

A just peace must honor the fundamental entitlements of the Palestinian population for self-determination, sovereignty, and liberty from military occupation and siege. Only when each person's worth between the river and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we genuinely declare reconciliation has been attained.

True peace requires an sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel: this is the only solution that enjoises agreement among the global community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace advocates.

The former US president may have applied pressure on Netanyahu to stop the violence, but he likely only did so because the burden of his relationship with the isolated government of Netanyahu had become too great. The mass protests across the globe for the liberation of Palestine, and the unwavering anti-government protests inside Israel, are the real factors behind this influence.

It is thanks to this massive civil movement that a ceasefire has been agreed, the captives freed, and the residents of the territory can experience safeguard from destruction. Following the ceasefire agreement has been signed, it is crucial to keep applying this pressure. The world has ignored to the violence in Gaza for many years; it must not repeat the same mistake in the West Bank.