The key facts
- Four Italian women detained in the village of al-Bweib south of Hebron; Italy's Foreign Ministry confirmed they are being held at a police station
- The day before, the IDF detained around 90 volunteers, including US congressional candidate Brad Lander; two Italians were earlier deported
- The army explained the detentions by the lack of prior coordination of the harvest; settler attacks have increased in recent weeks
Detention in al-Bweib
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday stopped a group of international activists helping Palestinians harvest olives in the village of al-Bweib south of Hebron. Among those detained were four female citizens of Italy, as reported by the Italian Foreign Ministry. The ministry confirmed that the women are being held at a police station.
Rome's reaction
Italy's Foreign Ministry said the embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate general in Jerusalem contacted Israeli authorities and requested urgent clarifications about the circumstances of the detention and the situation of the Italian citizens. The day before, two more Italians, Manuel and Alberto Tartarotti, were detained and subsequently deported from the country.
Mass operation the day before
On Wednesday, a large-scale IDF operation led to the detention of around 90 volunteers, among them Brad Lander, a Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives. He and dozens of other activists were later released under strict movement restrictions.
The Israeli army's position
The military stated that farmers and volunteers had not received prior permission for the harvest and were detained 'due to a security risk associated with uncoordinated harvesting near an Israeli settlement.' The army added that it views the arrival of dozens of activists as 'an act aimed solely at provocation, undermining the harvest process.'
Context of violence
The current olive harvest has been accompanied by clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents: the latter tried to gather the crop, while the former — in Euronews' wording — sought to steal it. In recent weeks, attacks by groups of extremist settlers have increased; over the past weekend a Wall Street Journal photojournalist was injured, and several European diplomatic vehicles were attacked.
