Israel detains two US citizens helping Palestinian farmers in West Bank

Israel detained two American citizens on Wednesday who were "participating in an initiative to help Palestinian olive growers harvest their crop" in the West Bank and are now being deported from Israel, local media reported. 

The report said that the two women are in Israel on a four-month educational programme with the Solidarity of Nations – Achvat Amim organisation, and were volunteering in the village of Burin for the harvest work with the Rabbis for Human Rights group.

This is the second incident in two weeks in which activists supporting Palestinian olive growers have been detained for entering the "closed military zone" that was imposed on Burin on 16 October.

“The police are arresting solidarity activists coming to support Palestinian farmers due to the settler violence against them during the olive harvest, instead of arresting the violent settlers who are making the presence of the solidarity activists necessary,” said Becca Strober, spokesperson for Solidarity of Nations.

According to Strober, 11 activists travelled to Burin on Wednesday morning, but were stopped at an Israeli checkpoint, and later detained after trying an alternate route.