Israeli Forces Detain 80 Activists Assisting Palestinian Olive Harvest

Israeli security forces detained 80 Israeli and foreign activists from the Rabbis for Human Rights organization on Wednesday as they were assisting Palestinian olive harvesters near the village of Nahhalin, west of Bethlehem. The organization reported that the activists were in the area for approximately two hours before soldiers arrived and declared the location a closed military zone. According to the activists, despite their willingness to leave immediately, forces held them, photographed their identification documents and passports, and then transferred them to the Etzion station in Beitar Illit, alleging they had violated the closed military zone order. The activists stated the order was presented to them in areas that do not require coordination and which the IDF typically permits access to for the olive harvest. Among those detained was Brad Lander, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Congress, according to Rabbis for Human Rights. One activist told Haaretz that the group had been harvesting for over an hour without incident before a drone appeared overhead, and they saw people from Beitar Illit watching them. She speculated these individuals had called the army and police. "They told us we had to leave, but they didn't let us leave, they detained us," she said, adding that they were escorted to their vehicles before being informed of their detention. Foreign activists were placed in a large police vehicle, while the Israelis were put on the bus they arrived in. She also mentioned an Israeli journalist who was detained and taken elsewhere. MK Gilad Kariv criticized the army's actions, writing on social media that the IDF's acronym stands for "Israel Defense Army, not the Defense Army for Extreme Settlers." He urged an end to the manipulative use of closed military zone orders, the disruption of the Palestinian olive harvest, and the infringement on the rights of Israelis and Jews who oppose such actions. In a separate incident on Monday, police arrested ten suspects involved in violent incidents over the weekend, including the assault of an European diplomatic delegation and photojournalist Heidi Levine. Security forces, including the Border Police, Shin Bet, and IDF, confiscated vehicles and found evidence linking the suspects to the violence. They also evacuated illegal outposts and removed intruders from a Palestinian home. Two suspects in the diplomat assault had their detention extended by four days by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, while four suspects in the assault on Levine had their detention extended by three days. Police also sought to extend the detention of four suspects in another attack in the same village.