Occupied Jerusalem-SANA
Israel deported 14 foreign activists of American, Canadian, and European nationalities, after detaining them since last Friday, while accompanying Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season in the West Bank.
Agence France-Presse reported on Sunday that the deportation of the activists came in the wake of what the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority claimed was "a breach of public order and violation of legal provisions," while the Palestinian "Fazaa" campaign, which mobilizes local and foreign volunteers to support Palestinian farmers in reaching their lands and attempting to protect them from Israeli settler attacks, stated that the activists were assaulted before their detention.
The Defenders for Human Rights Center, which provided legal support to the detainees, confirmed that the activists' detention followed clashes with Israeli settlers. The group included a 77-year-old journalist and activist, while the Israeli occupation police announced the arrest of three Palestinians who were with the foreign supporters.
The deportation operations come about a week after the detention and deportation of 15 other foreign activists, including a journalist. The detention and deportation of foreign supporters coincide with an escalation in attacks on Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season in the West Bank, where the accompaniment of foreign and local volunteers to farmers serves as one of the means of civil support and protection against settler attacks and difficulties in accessing agricultural lands.
The season also witnessed attacks on journalists, including serious injuries to American photographer Heidi Levine while she was covering settler attacks, as well as the beating of Agence France-Presse photographer Jaafar Ishtayeh, who was taken to the hospital.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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