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British officials raise case of 22 year-old activist detained in West Bank with Israeli authorities
Finn Joughin was involved in a confrontation with settlers near Hebron over the weekend.
British officials have spoken to Israel about the detention of 22-year-old student activist by settlers and his subsequent arrest in the West Bank.
Finn Joughin was involved in a confrontation with settlers near Hebron over the weekend.
Online footage appears to show the British citizen attempting to shield a group of Palestinian children playing football when a group of young settlers approached.
He was seen standing by a fence, using his body to protect it, as a young settler pushed against him in the village of Umm Al-Kheir.
Later, a larger group of settlers forcefully removed Joughin and took the London-based student to an outpost.
Israeli police stated that a foreign national had then been detained by security personnel from a settler community on suspicion of an indecent act against a minor.
In a statement on Sunday, they said: “The suspect was transferred to the police for questioning, which included, among other things, taking statements that raised suspicion of an assault against a minor. Following his questioning, the suspect was taken into custody, and the investigation into the incident remains ongoing.”
On Monday, Joughin’s lawyer said he was being deported from Israel later that day, suggesting that the charges were unlikely to be pursued.
Activists who were with Joughin at the time strongly deny allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
“In every single instance, it was the settler kids who approached Finn,” one activist told the BBC.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed it was aware of the incident. “Officials from the British embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the case with the Israeli authorities and are seeking further information,” a spokesperson said.
Violent attacks by settlers have surged in the West Bank in recent months, drawing international condemnation of both the settlers’ actions and the Israeli military’s response.
On Saturday, dozens of settlers attacked the West Bank village of Qusra before the military intervened to remove them.
Foreign journalists, including an NBC News team, were also injured by masked settlers in an attack in the town of Jalud.
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