Israel to deport Jewish women taking part in olive harvest in West Bank
Israeli authorities have ordered the deportation of two Jewish women who joined the humanitarian organisation Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) for a peacebuilding olive harvest alongside Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank village of Burin.
“The participation of Jews and internationals in the olive harvest has always been an act of solidarity and peace,” representatives of RHR and the peacebuilding platform Achvat Amim said in a joint statement.
“The decision to deport these volunteers reflects an alarming trend of silencing nonviolent human rights work and Jewish voices for justice in Israel-Palestine.”
The two individuals facing deportation previously lived in Jerusalem and have family ties to the country. It was unclear when they would be deported and to which country.
Israeli troops and settlers have carried out dozens of attacks on both Palestinians and their olive trees during this harvest season.
Israeli raids, settler attacks reported across West Bank
The Palestinian Wafa news agency is reporting several Israeli raids and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank:
- Israeli forces raided the town of Qabatiya and the village of Anza, south of Jenin. No arrests or injuries were reported.
- Israeli forces stormed the town of Turmus Aya, north of Ramallah, firing stun grenades and tear gas and causing clashes with Palestinian residents.
- Israeli settlers cut down hundreds of ancient olive trees on land belonging to three villages south of Nablus – Qaryut, as-Sawiya, and al-Lubban Asharqiya.
- A group of settlers stormed a Bedouin village in the al-Hathroura area, east of Jerusalem, vandalising property and blocking roads.
Israel erected nearly 1,000 barriers in West Bank during Gaza war
Israel has erected nearly 1,000 barriers in cities and towns in the occupied West Bank, further stifling movement for Palestinians and hindering daily lives.
According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, an official Palestinian governmental body, 916 gates, barriers and walls have been installed since the war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023.
Among the new barriers are metal gates stationed at many village and town entrances, and between cities, blocking access. Palestinians say the gates have erratic opening hours, with some staying shut for days.
Israeli forces arrest Palestinian man, son after settler attack in Masafer Yatta
A Palestinian man and his son have been arrested in Masafer Yatta, in the occupied West Bank, our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic have reported.
They were apprehended after Israeli settlers attacked the area, a string of Palestinian hamlets located on the hills south of Hebron where Palestinians have fought displacement orders.
Their resistance to Israeli settler violence was documented in the Oscar-winning documentary film, No Other Land.
