The United Kingdom has raised the detention of a British student activist with Israeli authorities after he was reportedly detained by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Finn Joughin, a 22-year-old British activist, was arrested in Umm Al-Kheir on Saturday after Israeli settlers allegedly confronted him during an incident involving a Palestinian family’s property.
Witnesses said Palestinian children had been playing football when children from settler families approached them before returning to a nearby house and attempting to dismantle a fence. Footage reviewed by the BBC reportedly showed Joughin standing near the fence and using his body to prevent a child from pushing through it.
According to fellow activists, settlers then forcibly removed Joughin and took him to an outpost, where he was later handed over to Israeli police.
Israeli police said a foreign national had been detained after allegedly disrupting public order. Police also said the settler community had suspected him of an indecent act involving a minor and other offences.
Joughin's lawyer, Inbar Shaked Vardi, strongly denied the allegations, saying the activist was initially accused of assault before an allegation of an indecent act was added to the case documents.
Joughin is expected to be deported to the UK, with his lawyer saying authorities had not formally decided whether to close the case.
The UK's Foreign Office confirmed that British embassy officials in Tel Aviv had raised the matter with Israeli authorities and were seeking further information.
The incident comes amid renewed violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog have both condemned recent settler violence.
The United Nations and much of the international community consider Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law, while Israel disputes this position.
Other incidents over the weekend included an attack by settlers on the Palestinian village of Qusra and an assault on foreign journalists in Jalud.
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