Israel to Deport Three Foreign Activists Detained in Hebron

Israeli authorities decided on Monday to deport three foreign activists who were detained in Hebron, after accusing them of photographing soldiers and a military site. The police described one of the detainees as a prominent activist in a pro-Palestinian organization involved in BDS activities. The Israeli police stated that soldiers apprehended the three activists on Sunday evening near the Bab al-Zawiya checkpoint in the heart of Hebron, which separates the settlement area from Palestinian neighborhoods. The activists had arrived from the Palestinian side and allegedly photographed the checkpoint and soldiers present.

According to the police, a search revealed additional photos of Israeli soldiers taken at the site, though the nature of these images was not specified. Investigators took a statement from one of the soldiers before transferring the activists for questioning and overnight detention. The police forwarded information about the activists to the Population and Immigration Authority, citing an intelligence review that indicated one detainee heads the French organization Agir pour la Palestine and is active in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

The police described the activists' actions as "anti-Israel activity" and labeled one as a "radical and important activist." The relevant consulate was notified before the group was moved to the Population and Immigration Authority for a hearing. Following the hearing, a decision was made to deport all three within 24 hours, and they were transferred to a detention facility pending their removal from the country.

This incident occurs amid rising attacks by the Israeli military and settlers against Palestinians, particularly during the olive harvest season in the West Bank. The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported 219 attacks by the army and settlers since the beginning of October, including 136 related to the olive harvest, involving obstruction of farmers, assaults, crop theft, and tree damage. Palestinian groups had launched an international campaign about a month prior, inviting foreign activists to join farmers during the olive harvest due to escalating settler violence and access restrictions.