Israel deported 14 foreign nationals over the weekend after they were detained during a disturbance in Samaria. Police said they entered the country on tourist visas with the aim of provoking confrontations during the olive harvest.
IDF and Border Police forces were called to the area of Ras Karkar, northwest of Ramallah, following reports of a disturbance. They detained 14 foreign nationals and three Palestinians on suspicion of involvement in the incident and of violating a lawful order. The suspects were taken for questioning at the Modiin Illit police station.
According to police, the investigation, carried out with the foreign nationals desk of the Judea and Samaria District’s Central Unit, found that the foreigners had come to Israel intending to stir up confrontations on the ground and generate anti-Israel media campaigns for worldwide distribution, particularly during the olive harvest season.
Police said some of the suspects openly support the BDS movement and back anti-Israel organizations while presenting them as legitimate groups.
After an evidentiary basis was established, police, the Foreign Ministry and the Interior Ministry coordinated to send the case to the Population and Immigration Authority for expedited removal.
The authority held hearings over the weekend for the 14, who are citizens of the United States, Italy, Germany and Canada. It ruled that their involvement in the provocations was a fundamental violation of the terms of their tourist visas, and they were flown out of Israel to various destinations.
The deportations come a week after 14 other foreign nationals were removed from Israel following a separate incident near the Samaria village of al-Lubban.
Police said the investigation of the three Palestinian suspects is ongoing. They pledged to continue working with all security agencies to prevent friction and violence and to thwart incitement and identification with terror.
“The Authority will continue to act against anyone who exploits the tourist visa granted to him by the state for purposes other than tourism, thereby violating the terms of the permit,” the Population and Immigration Authority said.
