Israel Moves to Bar Far-Left Activists from West Bank Olive Harvest

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered procedures to issue administrative removal orders against far-left activists, both Israeli and foreign, who are linked to organizations coordinating actions like the Gaza flotilla. The decision comes ahead of the olive harvest season in Judea and Samaria, according to i24NEWS. The initiative was prompted by a request from Israel Gantz, chairman of the Yesha Council and the Binyamin Regional Council, who sought to prevent activists from entering harvest areas to provoke confrontations. This follows an announcement by the Global Sumud Flotilla coalition, which organized a previous Gaza flotilla that included Greta Thunberg, to recruit foreign activists for actions in Israel, particularly during the olive harvest in Judea and Samaria. Other groups mentioned in connection with these mobilizations include Go Palestine, Protect the Harvest, Faz3a, and the International Solidarity Movement.

Katz's directive aims to expel activists whose activities are deemed a threat to public order and security. "The residents of Judea and Samaria are not extras in the campaigns of foreign activists," Gantz stated, emphasizing the need to prevent a repeat of provocations seen in Gaza. He vowed that the olive harvest season would not become a tool for creating clashes. No specific number of individuals targeted by these orders has been released.