Because they helped Palestinians harvest olives, 14 activists from Europe and North America are threatened with deportation by the Israeli state. The case is part of a long history of settler violence and occupation politics in the West Bank.

14 activists from Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Austria, Ireland and Sweden traveled to the occupied West Bank to express international solidarity and help with the annual olive harvest.

Harvesting olives is a long-standing tradition in Palestine. The olive trees in Palestine are up to 5,000 years old and are among the oldest in the world. In addition to a cultural value, which is also expressed, for example, by the olive pattern on the keffiyeh, many Palestinians are also financially dependent on the sale of olives. It is precisely because of this significance of the harvest that the fields and the Palestinians who harvest them are repeatedly attacked by settlers.

Continuous attacks on olive harvest

Since the harvest began a few weeks ago, attacks by settlers have been the order of the day. From setting cars and houses on fire, destroying trees and stealing olives, using tear gas and creating “military zones” to keep Palestinians away from their land and crops. The settlers are supported by the Israeli military.

Again attacks by Israeli settlers on the Palestinian olive harvest

Settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories violates international law. Individual settlers, including Avichai Suissa, are on international sanctions lists. This is sanctioned by the EU, the United Kingdom and formerly also the USA. According to reports from Al Jazeera, Suissa is still in Qaryutsettledand repeatedly attacked and displaced Palestinians there during the harvest.

As a result of the attacks and the settlement policy, hundreds of hectares of farmland have been taken away from the Palestinians in the last three years. In addition, this year alone, over 250 attacks were recorded during harvest between September and mid-October, making it very difficult to harvest the remaining land. According to Al Jazeera, many Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are also talking about the worst year yet for settler attacks during the harvest. In addition, the overall harvest this year was worse than it has been for a long time.

Deported for helping with the harvest

Due to the importance of the olive harvest and the continuous attacks, there are always journalists and international activists who travel to Palestine to the West Bank to support it and provide media coverage. The settlers have to be a little more reserved towards foreign activists and journalists: their citizenship protects them better than the Palestinians. Nevertheless, violence occurs against them on a regular basis.

14 of these activists were arrested by the Israeli state during this year's harvest and taken with themdeportationthreatened. They were arrested on October 29 in al-Lubban al-Gharbi, a village northwest of Ramallah. Israeli troops entered the house where the activists were staying and took them to the nearby police station on the grounds that they had entered a closed military zone. However, the activists emphasized that they were never informed about such a zone.

On October 30, the activists then had to undergo a visa revocation hearing at the immigration office. There, public safety concerns were cited as the reason for the deportation with regard to the alleged military zone and its crossing. Images taken by Israeli settlers were used as evidence of this. The activists were also asked about connections to “anti-Israel organizations”.

One activist remains in custody

Meanwhile, 13 of the activists have either already been deported or are still waiting to be deported soon. However, one activist, the Italian professor Donato Ferdori, vehemently refused to be deported and is now being held in the “Givon” prison.held.

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He made it clear in advance that he was interested in more than just the olive harvest. “No one should ever have to suffer the unspeakable crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians.” He also emphasized the international nature of the fight, since Israel receives weapons from all over the world and, conversely, also supplies weapons to all parts of the world.

Italy is a country in which large parts of the population show solidarity with the Palestinian people. Just last Friday there were nationwide demonstrations and strikes in which, among other things, port workers blocked arms deliveries to Israel. It is unclear what will happen next for the Italian activist, but the Palestine solidarity “International Solidarity Movement” demanded in a statementExplanationhis immediate release.

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