Not Peace.. But Annexation and Imposition of Sovereignty Under American Protection

What is happening in the West Bank is no longer occupation in the traditional sense, nor is it a negotiable political conflict, nor is it a "failed peace process." Let's call things by their names: what is happening is a gradual, organized annexation of Palestinian land occurring under international cover, Arab silence, and full American protection.

Israel is no longer managing the conflict; it has decided to resolve it. The recent cabinet decisions are not mere administrative details but explicit sovereign steps that transfer powers from the Palestinian Authority, expand settlements, facilitate land confiscation, impose Israeli laws on the occupied land, and transform temporary administration into permanent control. These are not security measures but a practical declaration that the West Bank is treated as part of the Israeli state.

Any subsequent talk about a "two-state solution" becomes nothing more than a political deception; no state can be established on land that is being stolen daily. But this reality did not arise after a Palestinian rejection of peace; it emerged after the most moderate political course in the history of the Palestinian national movement.

Over thirty years ago, the Palestine Liberation Organization officially recognized Israel and accepted a state on only 22% of historic Palestine. It entered long negotiations and built a transitional authority in the hope of transitioning into an independent state, with the clear wager being recognition, negotiations, and diplomacy instead of confrontation. Palestinians were told that moderation would be rewarded with international guarantees.
In recent years, demands have escalated: the Palestinian Authority was asked to cut allowances for its imprisoned heroes and their families—those who resisted occupation under international law—so it was cut. It was asked to amend curricula that discuss Palestinian rights and the Palestinian narrative, which it did. It was asked to tone down its political rhetoric, which it did. It was asked to explicitly condemn the events of October 7, and it did. It offered everything one could expect from a party betting on a political solution.

But what was the counter? Nothing; settlement expansion continued, settler provocations and village burnings and tree uprooting did not stop, land confiscations were ongoing, military control did not diminish, and the number of settlers increased to over 800,000 within the land on which a Palestinian state is supposed to exist. Clearly, the concessions have accumulated... and occupation has solidified.

In contrast, no similar commitment was required from Israel. Israel was not asked to recognize the State of Palestine, nor was it requested to halt settlement expansion as a condition for negotiations, nor was its military aid linked to international law, nor were sanctions or accountability imposed on it, nor was anyone demanding a review of its speech, curricula, or media that demonizes Palestinians daily.

During the recent war on Gaza, entire neighborhoods were destroyed, schools, hospitals, and universities were targeted, and a siege and starvation were imposed on the population for over 18 years, in scenes described by international human rights organizations as serious violations of international humanitarian law. Yet, American and European political and military support continued as is. Thus, the equation becomes glaring: one party is always required to prove its goodwill, while only one party enjoys complete immunity regardless of its actions. More dangerously, Israel does not do this alone; the United States, which claims to sponsor peace for three decades, has never been an impartial mediator but rather a full political partner. Here we ask, how can the mediator be the largest military funder of Israel? How can the guarantor of peace be the one who uses the veto to protect it from any accountability? Washington does not prevent annexation; it provides a cover and protection for it, and it does not halt settlement expansion but diplomatically shields it. It does not impose international law but rather obstructs its application. The American message to Israel is clear: do what you want on the ground, and we will take care of silencing the world and supporting you financially, militarily, and in the media.

As for the Security Council, which is supposed to be the guardian of international peace, it has turned into an empty political stage; statements of concern do not stop bulldozers nor prevent the confiscation of a meter of land. Relying on it alone is no longer a policy but an illusion.

So where are the Oslo sponsors? Where are the countries that promised the Palestinians a state within five years?
Where are the guarantees? After three decades, a Palestinian state has not been born, but settlement expansion has multiplied many times. If sponsorship does not prevent the dismantling of agreements, it is not sponsorship but a cover for managing time until facts on the ground are imposed by force.

Amid all this, it is no longer possible to continue managing a limited powers authority under occupation as if the political process is still alive; this has ceased to be pragmatism, turning into political exhaustion.

What is now required is to change the rules of the game by internationalizing the conflict legally without hesitation, pursuing war crimes and genocide and settlement in international courts, imposing economic and political costs on settlements, reviewing the functional relationship with the occupation, ending internal division, and in short, transitioning from managing reality to resisting reality politically and legally. History does not forgive peoples who wait for their freedom, and peace is not granted by an occupying power, and rights are not restored through American sponsorship. Those who do not pay a political price will not budge an inch.

What is happening today is not a stumbling block in the peace process but is being buried daily before the eyes of the world.

Therefore, the question is no longer whether a Palestinian state will be established.

The real question is: how long will the world continue in silence and protection of annexation… and how long will Palestinians continue waiting for an illusory peace no one intends to grant them? And what is the guaranteed timeframe to prevent an explosion locally, regionally, and internationally.