As Global Attention Remains on Gaza, Israel's Colonists in the West Bank Persist Acting Without Consequences

Last week, during a joint address by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, fellow parliamentarian Ayman Odeh and I raised a banner urging the recognition of the Palestinian state. We were forcibly ejected from the legislative session, exposing the weak condition of what's frequently portrayed as the "sole democratic state in the Middle East". How can leaders speak about Middle East peace while declining to acknowledge a people deprived of fundamental liberties and entitlements under decades-long occupation?

The Situation in the West Bank

Nowhere is the deceit more evident than in the occupied West Bank. There, words of reconciliation sound distant and weak, while the terrifying echoes of settler violence and terror continue loudly. Over 30 incidents of settler aggression against Palestinian civilians have been recorded since the unveiling of the US 20-point plan in late September, featuring attacks, theft of agricultural produce, and burning of vehicles and belongings.

Systematic Violence During Agricultural Period

The increase in violence by colonists is not coincidental. This time marks the start of agricultural harvesting. More than a crucial economic activity, it represents an significant social and national moment that shows endurance under occupation. Exactly for these causes, annually colonists target Palestinian farmers throughout this crucial time. During the 2024 harvest period, human rights organizations recorded 113 distinct incidents of aggression, harassment, harvest-thwarting, or damage to olive groves and crops by Israeli civilians and soldiers, which took place on territories belonging to 51 Palestinian villages, municipalities, and communities.

Israel's military appeared to have played a greater role in hindering the harvesting season

Yesh Din also found that "Israel's security forces appeared to have played a greater part in hindering the harvesting season". In approximately 70% of cases where access to lands was violently prevented, soldiers, border police officers, and settlement security officials were physically present. They either directly stopped Palestinians from accessing and harvesting their property, or neglected to prevent settlers who threatened or assaulted them.

Political Support for Settler Activities

This comes as no surprise, as the leader of the settlers' political party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed as an additional minister in the Ministry of Defence responsible for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In one village, for instance, a particular military coordination team uprooted personally-owned olive plants of local residents, citing missing documentation, but ignored infractions by an illegal adjacent settler outpost. Last week, the Jerusalem district court ruled to stop all construction in the outpost, which was constructed on property seized by Israel and unlawfully given to colonists.

Takeover Goals and International Reaction

In the occupied West Bank, colonist violence is nothing but a tool used by the government to achieve practical annexation. Earlier this month, Smotrich headed a march of thousands of settlers in support of annexation the West Bank. He was quoted as saying, "We persist to take hold with our feet of the territory with many settlers, many heroes, and countless of colonists who reside in this part of the territory ... we must to normalise it and establish it permanently."

The colonists and their supporters in the Knesset are clear about their motives and goals. Why, then, do government officials in the Western nations refrain from substantial sanctions and political actions? Smotrich was penalized by the United Kingdom in June, but the impact of the sanction has been minimal. He may not be permitted to travel to the United Kingdom and tour the London's entertainment district, but he still enjoys the governmental authority to seize territories in the West Bank. Remarkably in the declaration of sanctions, the UK emphasized they take place "in his personal capacity" solely.

Global Recognition and Reality

If the British administration acknowledges the truth of colonist aggression and its serious implications on Palestinian existence, why does it still allow goods from settlements to be marketed in markets and outlets in the UK? If the British leader is genuine about recognition of Palestine as a sovereign entity, how come he allow the Israeli administration to breach its sovereignty with such violent means? Or was the recognition an hollow ploy to shut down opposition in the UK, a hollow gesture only to be implemented in the rebranding of some cartographic representations?

Pathway to Genuine Peace

A just peace must respect the basic rights of the Palestinian people for self-determination, sovereignty, and freedom from occupation and blockade. Only when every person's dignity between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is respected can we truly say peace has been achieved.

Genuine peace requires an sovereign Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state: this is the sole formula that has consensus among the international community, the Palestinian national movement, and the Israeli peace camp.

The former US president may have applied pressure on Netanyahu to halt the violence, but he probably only did so because the burden of his connection with the pariah regime of Netanyahu had become too great. The large demonstrations across the globe for the liberation of Palestine, and the persistent anti-government protests inside the country, are the actual factors behind this influence.

It is due to this massive public campaign that a truce has been signed, the captives released, and the residents of the territory can enjoy safeguard from destruction. Following the truce arrangement has been finalized, it is vital to continue applying this pressure. The world has turned a blind eye to the violence in the strip for too long; it must not repeat the same mistake in the occupied territories.