Khaberni - The Israeli occupation authorities announced today, Wednesday, the deportation of 32 foreign activists who participated in a solidarity event with Palestinian farmers during the olive picking season in the occupied West Bank, under the pretext of violating military orders and associating with an agricultural organization that Israel classifies as "terrorist".
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister, Yariv Levin, stated that he issued the deportation orders in coordination with the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
He mentioned that the decision was made following an investigation by the Israeli authorities based on a complaint from the head of the Northern West Bank Settlements Council, Yossi Dagan, who described them as "anarchists who carried out provocations," according to his claim.
Levin added in a statement published on the Telegram platform, that "this firm action sends a clear message that Israel will not tolerate those who violate its sovereignty or support terrorism."
According to the Israeli statement, the incident occurred last Thursday near a farm south of the city of Nablus, where the activists organized "a demonstration in agricultural land subject to military orders, allowing only olive pickers to stay there during the season."
Among those deported, a British young man named Rudy Schkouldin told the French Press Agency that he came to the West Bank in solidarity with the Palestinian farmers, who frequently face attacks by settlers during the olive picking season.
Local media reported that the Israeli army arrested the activists while they participated in picking olives alongside the Palestinians, in a step aimed at documenting the violations that the farmers face from the settlers.
The "Union of Agricultural Work Committees", a non-governmental agricultural institution registered in the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, is one of the largest agricultural development institutions, established in 1986.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the arrest and deportation of the activists, affirming that they were participating in a solidarity campaign with the residents to document settler attacks.
Since October 2023, due to settler attacks, Palestinian farmers face significant difficulties and risks in accessing these lands during the olive harvest season except in the presence of international supporters.
According to data from the Palestinian Authority of Wall and Settlement Resistance, the settlers executed 7154 attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank during the "Year of Annihilation" in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the martyrdom of 33 citizens and the displacement of 33 Palestinian Bedouin groups, as well as establishing 114 settlement outposts.
