UK raises case of British activist detained by settlers in West Bank with Israel

British student activist Finn Joughin was detained after Israeli settlers advanced on a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, according to activists who witnessed the confrontation. The UK Foreign Office said it had raised the case with Israeli authorities.

The 22-year-old was arrested in Umm Al-Kheir on Saturday after settlers allegedly removed him by force and took him to an outpost. Witnesses said Palestinian children were playing football when children from settler families intervened. The settler children then ran to a house and began dismantling a fence.

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The suspect was transferred to the police for questioning, which included, among other things, taking statements that raised suspicion of an assault against a minor.

Online footage reviewed by the BBC appears to show Joughin standing beside the fence and using his body to protect it as a child pushes against him. Settlers then forcibly removed him and took him to the outpost.

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Following his questioning, the suspect was taken into custody, and the investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

Israeli police said a foreign national had been detained by security personnel from a settler community who suspected him of an indecent act against a minor. Police later said: "The suspect was transferred to the police for questioning, which included, among other things, taking statements that raised suspicion of an assault against a minor." They added: "Following his questioning, the suspect was taken into custody, and the investigation into the incident remains ongoing."

Joughin's family told the BBC that he was due to be deported from Israel on Monday. Activists accompanying him rejected the allegation. "In every single instance, it was the settler kids who approached Finn," fellow activist Matthew, who declined to give his surname, told the BBC. The confrontation occurred near Hebron, in an area recently surrounded by settlers. The BBC also noted a surge in settler attacks on Palestinians and their property since the Gaza war began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

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In every single instance, it was the settler kids who approached Finn.