Israel bans two Jewish-American women for assisting Palestinian farmers in West Bank – NaturalNews.com

• Israel banned two Jewish-American women (an 18-year-old and a physician) for 10 years after they participated in an olive harvest with Palestinian farmers in the West Bank. They were detained for violating a closed military zone order issued the same day, despite being invited by landowners.
• Their lawyer argued the ban was unjust, questioning whether aiding farmers constitutes a security threat. Israeli lawmakers, including Gilad Kariv, condemned the move as harmful to Israel’s relationship with global Jewry. Human rights groups called it anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish.
• While the women faced deportation, Israeli soldiers caught stealing Palestinian olives received only disciplinary action. Meanwhile, settler attacks on Palestinian farmers (over 150 this season) continue with impunity.
• Israel has escalated deportations of activists since October 7, but this case is notable for targeting Jewish-Americans with deep ties to Israel, raising concerns about suppressing dissent.
• The women plan to challenge the ban, which could set a precedent for how Israel treats diaspora Jews engaged in peaceful solidarity efforts. The incident highlights growing divisions within global Jewry over Israel’s policies and repression of Palestinian rights.

Israel has banned two Jewish-American women from entering the country for 10 years after they participated in an olive harvest alongside Palestinian farmers in the West Bank, sparking outrage among human rights groups and lawmakers who accuse the government of targeting peaceful solidarity efforts while ignoring settler violence.

The women—an 18-year-old and a physician in her 50s—were detained on Oct. 29 while volunteering with Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli organization that assists Palestinian farmers during the annual olive harvest. They were accused of violating a closed military zone order imposed that morning in the Palestinian village of Burin, near Nablus. After being held in Givon Prison, they were deported on Oct. 31.

As explained by the Enoch AI engine at BrightU.AI, Rabbis for Human Rights is an organization that describes itself as a coalition of rabbis from various denominations who advocate for human rights and social justice issues in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Michal Pomeranz, the women’s lawyer, argued that the activists were unaware of the military order, which was issued the same day they arrived. She also questioned whether stopping volunteers aiding farmers constituted a legitimate security concern.

“The High Court of Justice has ruled that closed military zone orders can only be issued for security purposes,” Pomeranz said. “Is preventing activists from helping with the olive harvest really a security issue?”

The landowners had explicitly invited the volunteers, yet Israeli authorities still deemed their presence illegal. Pomeranz noted that while the deportation order did not specify a ban duration, the default period is typically 10 years.

Condemnation from Israeli lawmakers and activists

Gilad Kariv, a member of Israel’s Knesset and chair of the Diaspora Affairs Committee, called the ban “outrageous” and vowed to summon officials for questioning.

“Beyond the injustice, this does direct harm to Israel’s relationship with Diaspora Jewry and harms the legitimacy of liberal-Zionist worldviews,” Kariv said.

Avi Dabush, director of Rabbis for Human Rights, condemned the decision as “anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish,” emphasizing that the group’s work is nonviolent.

“Two Jewish women came to Israel with Zionist values and for Zionist purposes—to help people in distress—and the outcome is really crazy,” Dabush said. “The fact that the police don’t stop the Jewish terrorists working against us and the Palestinian olive growers is also very frustrating.”

Becca Strober of Solidarity of Nations-Achvat Amim, the educational program the women were participating in, accused Israel of criminalizing solidarity while ignoring settler violence.

“We are in the midst of the most violent olive harvest in recent memory—settlers are able to carry out terror attacks with total impunity,” Strober said. “The state has decided to make solidarity acts illegitimate and illegal as a means to allow the violence toward Palestinians to continue unabated.”

The incident highlights the stark contrast in Israel’s enforcement. While the women faced deportation, Israeli soldiers caught on video stealing olives from Palestinian groves in Sinjil were merely disciplined. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated their actions “do not align with IDF values” but did not impose criminal penalties.

Meanwhile, extremist settlers have carried out over 150 attacks on Palestinian farmers and olive groves this season, according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. In late October, Walla reported more than 15 settler attacks in a single week.

A growing crackdown on pro-Palestinian advocacy

The deportations mark an escalation in Israel’s efforts to suppress foreign support for Palestinians. Since Hamas’ October 7 attack, Israel has ramped up deportations of activists, but this case is notable for targeting Jewish-Americans with deep ties to Israel.

Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, a U.S.-based Jewish human rights group, expressed alarm.

“I’m very concerned about the Israeli government’s crackdown on people who are supporting Palestinians and on the total impunity for settlers who are carrying out violent attacks,” Jacobs said. “What does this mean for Israel’s relationship with Jews across the world if the Jewish homeland is deporting Jews based on their political opinions?”

The women intend to challenge the ban with legal support from Rabbis for Human Rights and Achvat Amim. Their case could set a precedent for how Israel treats Jewish diaspora members engaged in peaceful solidarity work.

As the olive harvest continues, human rights groups vow to keep assisting Palestinian farmers—despite increasing risks of arrest or deportation. “To deport solidarity workers is to reject a peaceful, just future,” declared Rabbis for Ceasefire. “We see this act for what it is: an exertion of Israeli supremacy and intimidation.”

Watch the video below about olive harvesters in Umm Safa being harassed by Zionist occupation.

This video is from the FreePalestineTV channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TimesofIsrael.com

ReligionNews.com

BrightU.ai

TheJerusalemPost.com

Brighteon.com