British Jew’s aliyah put on hold over work protecting Palestinians from settler violence

A British Jew who grew up in an Orthodox family in London has had his aliyah application put on hold over his work accompanying Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

The 23-year-old had already been approved to move to Israel by the Jewish Agency before Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority decided to review his case, Haaretz reported.

An American Jewish woman, 27, who was involved in similar work, has also had her Aliyah application put on hold after initially being approved.

Both applicants deny taking part in violence.

The British man previously studied at Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem and joined Bnei Avraham in 2023.

The group accompanies Palestinian communities in the West Bank in an effort to protect them from settler violence.

His work initially focused on Hebron before he began working with Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley.

According to Haaretz, his passport was photographed during an incident near the Palestinian community of Mu’arrajat in June 2025.

He said a man who identified himself as the security coordinator of the nearby Israeli settlement of Mevo’ot Yericho threatened to detain him and have him deported.

The IDF told the newspaper it could not establish whether the man was acting as a security coordinator at the time or on behalf of the military.

The British man began applying for Aliyah later that year.

His electronic permission to travel to Israel was cancelled in January 2026, and he was then prevented from returning after travelling to Britain.

But in July, the Jewish Agency approved him for Aliyah.

A month later, he was told that the Population Authority had put that approval under review.

His lawyer is challenging the decision, arguing that his application should be considered under Israel’s Law of Return rather than rules covering foreign visitors.

The British man denies taking part in violence.

The second case involves an American Jewish law student who had previously lived in Israel for around two years.

She was detained by IDF soldiers alongside other foreign activists near Neve Daniel in Gush Etzion in June 2025, according to Haaretz, and her passport was photographed.

She said she had only watched and documented incidents from a distance and had never been involved in a violent confrontation.

Her permission to travel to Israel was later cancelled. She applied for Aliyah from abroad and was initially approved by the Jewish Agency before her case was also put under review.

In correspondence reported by Haaretz, a senior Population Authority official told her: “We don’t let in activists who act against Israel.”

The official said authorities had evidence about her activities but did not provide it, according to the newspaper.

The Jewish Agency said the Population and Immigration Authority is responsible for carrying out the Law of Return and declined to discuss individual cases.

The Population Authority said both applications were being considered separately and that the two applicants would be informed once decisions had been made.