British activist to be deported after settlers snatched him for allegedly assaulting child — police

The British activist who was seen being led away by armed settlers in the southern West Bank’s Umm al-Kheir on Saturday will be deported subject to a hearing at the Population and Immigration Authority, police confirm, after a UK government spokesperson said yesterday that he would be.

The police statement claims officers from the Israel Police’s Hebron station arrested the man after settlers complained he “assaulted a minor, and other allegations,” during an “incident of friction adjacent to the settlement of Carmel.”

Previous statements by police said the activist was first detained by the head of a settlement security sqaud, then handed over to police. Footage filmed by settlers also showed the activist being held in a shed for what his lawyer says was about 30 minutes.

The settlers accuse the activist of performing an indecent act against a minor. The footage filmed by the settlers included a brief clip that showed the activist pressing up against a child who tries to enter Umm al-Kheir.

The activist was participating in so-called “protective presence” with Palestinians in Umm al-Kheir. Such activists typically camp out at vulnerable Palestinian homes to record and alert authorities to settler attacks.

Police say the activist’s deportation is part of “an effort to thwart provocative activity that includes friction and disruption” in the West Bank that cause “damage to the image of the State of Israel.”