Israel to deport British activist abducted in occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers: lawyer

Israel will deport on Monday a British activist who was kidnapped by settlers and assaulted in the occupied West Bank over the weekend and subsequently transferred to police custody, according to his lawyer.

Finn Joughin was in the southern occupied West Bank village of Umm al-Khair on Saturday doing protective presence—a non-violent action to deter Israeli settler violence on Palestinians—said his lawyer, Inbar Shaked Vardi.

Vardi said children from illegal Israeli settler families stormed the Palestinian village's sports centre before attempting to dismantle fences that had been put up to protect residents from settler attacks.

"Finn only stood there holding on to the fence in an attempt to stop the break-in, at that point settlers began yelling at him accusations in Hebrew that he did not understand," Vardi said.

"Settlers started accusing him of sexually harassing one of the children which is not something that happened," she said, adding that armed settlers then took Joughin by force to a nearby settlement.

"He was taken to a shed inside the settlement of Carmel... He was put in a headlock and his hands were tied behind his back and he was forced to sit on the floor in the shed for 30 minutes while settlers filmed humiliating videos that they later posted," Vardi said, adding it was "a violation of both his right to privacy and his right to a good name."

Israeli police were called to the scene and arrested him, Vardi said, adding that officers "interrogated him a under the sole suspicion of assault".

While waiting for his hearing to take place at Jerusalem Magistrates Court on Sunday, police announced Joughin would be moved to Israel's immigration authority and transferred to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Vardi said.

Authorities decided to deport him following a pre-deportation hearing on Sunday, with his flight scheduled for around 3pm (1200 GMT) on Monday, Vardi said.

Israel occupied the West Bank since 1967 and violence by Israeli settlers on Palestinians has persisted for years, often with little or no legal consequence, but recently have surged.

More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the Palestinian territory, which are illegal under international law, among some three million Palestinians. These settlers are backed and protected by the Israeli government and army. 

Vardi said Joughin's case reflected a broader policy by the Israeli government and law enforcement to expand Jewish settlement in the territory.

"Both Palestinians and activists who are assaulted by settlers are often the ones who are arrested by Israeli police and despite clear evidence that they were victims of assault," she said.