Two Italian activists were stopped by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the West Bank together with other international activists. According to what the Farnesina communicated, the compatriots were accompanying some Palestinian farmers engaged in the olive harvest.
“Asked for clarification”
The Italian citizens were reached by the Israeli armed forces in the village of al-Bweib, south of Hebron. The Foreign Ministry immediately took action to obtain information on their detention after the Italian embassy in Tel Aviv and the Italian consulate general in Jerusalem became aware of the operation. The Farnesina said that “urgent” clarifications were requested on the circumstances of the arrest and on the situation of the compatriots. According to what the ministry reports, the Italian women are at a police station.
The other two arrested Italian activists returned to Italy
The news of the arrest of the compatriots comes a few hours after the return to Italy of two other Italian activists from Bolzano: Manuel Tartarotti, 35, and his father Alberto, 67, had been arrested in the West Bank by the Israeli police.
According to the Israeli police, quoted by Times of Israelthe two allegedly participated in an unauthorized olive harvest linked to the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq, classified by Israel (and not by the European Union) as a terrorist organization.