Israel barred 23 foreign delegates from entering West Bank — Jerusalem Post

Israeli authorities did not allow a delegation of 23 representatives from several countries to enter the West Bank through the Allenby crossing on the border with Jordan. The group planned to visit Ramallah during the olive harvest season and accompany Palestinian farmers. The Jerusalem Post reported this, citing The Guardian.

Delegation held for about nine hours

The group included delegates from France, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Greece, Denmark, Ireland and the United States. They were due to take part in the Second Congress of Progressive International in Ramallah, scheduled for November and organized in partnership with Birzeit University.

British parliamentarian Sam Tarry, who was previously affiliated with the Labour Party, told The Guardian that the group was stopped and held for about nine hours before being denied entry without an explanation. Labour Party MP Clive Lewis said the participants were separated from other people and questioned.

UK MP Lara Bird, who was also in the group, said she had arrived to express solidarity with Palestinians harvesting olives, but the delegation was turned back at the border without an explanation.

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Measures targeting activists

In early October, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed officials to seek the administrative removal of activists whose activities, in the authorities' assessment, could threaten public order or security in the West Bank.

After that, the Israel Defense Forces detained nearly 90 American, Israeli and British volunteers who planned to help Palestinians harvest olives near Bethlehem. The Israeli military and Foreign Ministry said the group's visit and activities had not been coordinated in advance and were taking place in a prohibited area. At the same time, the Jerusalem Post wrote that it had obtained a copy of the organizers' letter on coordinating the visit with the military, sent nearly two months before the incident.

Data on attacks during the olive harvest

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported at least 160 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank during the first two weeks of the olive harvest season. The UN also said that Israeli military personnel and border police protected settlers and took part in the attacks. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture reported $157 million in losses and the destruction of about 286,000 olive trees since the start of the war with Hamas in October 2023.