Israel deports 14 West Bank solidarity activists

Israel said on Sunday that it had deported 14 foreign activists who had travelled to the occupied West Bank on solidarity missions with Palestinians facing settler violence.

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority said the activists, from the United States, Canada, Italy and Germany, were detained by security forces while in Israel on tourist visas. It said they were deported for violating visa rules and disrupting public order, and that the last of them was deported on Sunday morning.

The Human Rights Defenders Fund, which provides legal support to activists, said Israeli authorities arrested the group on Friday near Ramallah after an altercation between activists and settlers. Sharona Weiss, the group's head of international advocacy, told AFP the foreigners were accompanying Palestinian farmers on their land when settlers arrived and attacked them.

Israeli police said three Palestinians were also arrested. Police accused the foreign activists of provocative activities intended to trigger clashes and of backing anti-Israeli media campaigns.

Weiss said a journalist and a 77-year-old activist were among those expelled. The Human Rights Defenders Fund said another 15 foreigners, including a journalist, had been expelled the previous week.

The deportations came during the annual olive harvest, which Palestinian farmers say has been affected by settler attacks. Israeli rights group Yesh Din said it has documented more than 850 acts of settler violence during the five-week harvest.