Israel Bans Two US Jewish Women 10 Years Over West Bank Olive Harvest Aid

Two American Jewish women were deported and banned from Israel for 10 years after entering a closed military zone in the West Bank village of Burin to assist Palestinian farmers with their olive harvest as part of a solidarity effort organized by Rabbis for Human Rights and Achvat Amim. Their actions followed a pattern of increased violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian olive farmers, including attacks and destruction of olive trees during the harvest season. The women, aged 18 and in their 50s, were detained and held at Givon Prison before deportation, with their visas canceled by Israel's Population and Immigration Authority for violating military orders. Human rights activists and organizations condemned the deportations as unjust, emphasizing that these nonviolent volunteers were targeted while settler violence goes unpunished, and expressed concern over the impact of such actions on Israel's relationship with the Jewish diaspora. Israeli officials maintain that the women violated military orders by entering a closed zone, but their lawyer stated they were unaware of the restrictions. The issue has sparked political debate within Israel, with some lawmakers calling for hearings and criticizing the ban as damaging to liberal Zionist values.