Settlers detain British activist for alleged ‘indecent act,’ hand him over to police
Footage from Umm al-Kheir shows activist Finn Joughin trying to physically block a child, before being led away by armed men; police confirm he was arrested, is still in custody
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Armed settlers on Saturday detained a British activist in the West Bank and handed him over to police after accusing him of assaulting a minor, though other activists accused the settlers of kidnapping the man.
The activist, who was identified as Finn Joughin, was in the southern West Bank village of Umm al-Kheir to try to protect the locals amid repeated attacks from settlers who set up illegal outposts on the neighboring hillsides. The volunteer activity is known as protective presence, and has become increasingly common throughout the West Bank, where settler violence takes place on a near-daily basis with almost complete impunity.
In footage of the incident, Joughin is seen holding on to a fence, next to an Arabic sign that reads “Welcome to Khirbet Umm al-Kheir,” and pressing his body against that of a child in an apparent attempt to prevent the child from passing through.
According to Nadav Weiman, from the left-wing Breaking the Silence group, “Children of settlers from the outpost stole a ball from Palestinian children [in Umm al-Khair] and then called armed adults [to the scene], and they kidnapped the activist.”
A subsequent video shows armed settlers physically restraining Joughin and marching him away, reportedly to the illegal outpost where the settlers seen in the incident live.
Separate footage showed the activist on a mattress inside a structure as a man speaking Hebrew called him an anarchist and a pedophile. The Hebrew speaker referred to the children seen in the video as residents of Barkan, an illegal outpost in the area of Umm al-Kheir.
במהלך השבת, אנרכיסט זר בשם Finn Joughin, הטריד מינית ילד יהודי בן 10, תוך כדי שהוא מונע ממנו לעבור בשכונה שלו, ביישוב כרמל. (גם התיעוד שלנו מתחיל באיחור, התקיפה המינית המשמעותית יותר קרתה לפני שנדלקה המצלמה).
מבוגרים שנכחו במקום נאלצו להרחיק אותו באופן פיזי עד שתגיע משטרה וכרגע… pic.twitter.com/tFthfuO36z
— ככה זה עובד (@thatshow_itwork) August 29, 2026
According to Israel Police, Joughin was detained by the head of the security squad of “one of the settlements adjacent to Ma’on,” a recognized settlement south of Hebron, signaling that the settlers involved in the incident were residents of an illegal outpost settlement in the area.
He was detained “on suspicion of performing an indecent act against a minor,” police said late Saturday in response to a query.
Responding to a request from The Times of Israel for an update on his status Sunday, police said Joughin was still in custody.
The interrogation of the British national “included, among others, the taking of testimonies that indicated a suspicion of a case of assaulting a minor,” police said. “The suspect was arrested at the end of his interrogation and the investigation of the case is ongoing.”
לפני זמן קצר מתנחלים חטפו פעיל נוכחות מגינה בינלאומי מהכפר הפלסטיני אום אל ח׳יר הוא נלקח למאחז הסמוך וכרגע לא יודעים איפה הוא נמצא
ילדי מתנחלים מהמאחז גנבו כדור של ילדים פלסטינים ואז קראו למבוגרים חמושים שחטפו את הפעיל
*שימו לב לילדי המתנחלים בסרטון ככה ההורים שלהם מחנכים אותם pic.twitter.com/swlcBcIksi
— נדב וימן Nadav Weiman (@weimanadav) August 29, 2026
Before Joughin was handed over to police, Democrats party MK Gilad Kariv called on the IDF to find and rescue the activist, who had not been heard from or seen for over an hour at the time of the post.
“After you locate him, arrest the kidnappers,” Kariv posted on X.
“Anarchy and violence are rampant in the area under your direct responsibility. These images are further evidence of the complete collapse of the rule of law in the territories,” he added.
The IDF, which was not involved in the incident, did not issue a comment.
The incident came as settlers carried out violent attacks across the West Bank on Saturday, wounding several Palestinians as well as a foreign news crew, and even taking over a Palestinian home in the village on Qusra while the family was inside.
Saturday’s attacks drew rare condemnation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who decried the “criminal violence,” while he downplayed it as the act of a “handful of rioters,” stressing it didn’t represent the broader settler public.
Settler violence has surged in recent months, with daily attacks and harassment. Prosecutions are rare, and critics accuse the IDF and Netanyahu’s government of condoning or even encouraging the violence.
The most senior IDF officer in the West Bank reportedly warned during a closed-door security assessment on Monday that mounting settler violence could ignite a broader escalation in the territory.
The Times of Israel Community.