UK Presses Israel Over 22-Year-Old Briton's West Bank Detention as Deportation Looms
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 30
UK Presses Israel Over 22-Year-Old Briton's West Bank Detention as Deportation Looms
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 30
Summary
British officials said they have raised Finn Joughin's detention with Israeli authorities and are seeking details after the 22-year-old activist was arrested in Umm al-Kheir.
Witnesses and video reviewed by the BBC indicate Joughin was trying to shield a fence as settlers advanced on the village, then was forcibly taken to an outpost by settlers.
Israeli police said a foreign national was handed over by settler security personnel on suspicion of an indecent act and possible assault against a minor; activists with Joughin deny any inappropriate behavior.
Joughin's family said he was due to be deported on Monday, while the case unfolded amid a wider weekend of settler violence that also hit Qusra and Jalud.
That violence comes after a broader rise in West Bank settler attacks since the Gaza war began in October 2023, drawing rare condemnation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.