Two US activists to be deported from Israel after arrest in West Bank

Two US activists are set to be deported from Israel following their arrest while assisting Palestinian olive harvests in the occupied West Bank.

The two, who were working with activist group Fazaa in the village of Qusra, near Nablus, were arrested by Israeli soldiers.

According to Haaretz, the two were interrogated by Israel's police in the occupied West Bank for entering a closed military area, identifying with a terrorist organisation and obstructing a police officer.

Police added that the activists participated in anti-Israel protests and expressed support for both Hamas and Hezbollah

However, Fazaa said that the activists had told Israeli soldiers that they did not posses documents to prove that Palestinian land was a closed military area when they arrived at the land along with Israeli settlers.

The soldiers then told the group to leave because of safety concerns because they were close to a road, with the activists subsequently being arrested and interrogated for violating a closed military order zone, although no such order was shown.

Police also said that the arrest of the activists is part of an initiative against "foreign anarchists" as part of policy directed by the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, according to Haaretz.

The deportations follow the deportation of 17 other foreign activists that have been expelled by Israel for their activist work in the occupied West Bank, with Haaretz reporting that a police team has been established in the occupied West Bank to identify and target peaceful activists who are pro-BDS and members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

This includes two German activists who were part of ISM who police say were arrested in an illegal settlement and confronting soldiers, but were actually on the property of a Palestinian activist from the village of At-Tuwani.

The two were not deported from Israel but were pressured to leave after Israeli police threatened them with extended detention and formal deportation proceedings.

Israel's occupation of the West Bank, illegal under international law, has become much tighter in the year since 7 October 2023, with at least 756 Palestinians being killed by Israeli security forces and settlers.

In September Israeli forces killed the peaceful US-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was taking part in a demonstration near Nablus.