Middle EastUpdated November 8

Israel says it deported 14 foreign activists arrested near Ramallah

Israel said it had deported 14 foreign activists arrested near Ramallah during the West Bank olive harvest, Arab News reported on November 8. The report said the activists had gone to the occupied West Bank to accompany Palestinian farmers facing settler violence. Arab News had reported on November 6 that 12 activists arrested in Kafr Ni’ma, west of Ramallah, were initially ordered deported; the reports do not establish whether the figures refer to the same group. WAFA and local sources said the earlier arrests followed an Israeli settler attack. Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority cited visa violations and disruption of public order. The Human Rights Defenders Fund gave a different account, saying the activists were accompanying farmers when settlers arrived and began attacking them. The Saudi Foreign Ministry has condemned continuing violence by Israeli settlers, protected by occupation forces, against Palestinian civilians. Saudi Arabia joined a February 9, 2026 joint statement rejecting Israeli measures in the occupied West Bank as unlawful and affirming that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory. These are Saudi positions on the wider West Bank file, not a statement about this deportation.

1 publisher2 reports

Coverage started November 6