British Activist Faces Deportation After Alleged West Bank Settler Kidnapping

British activist Finn Joughin, 22, faces deportation after being moved into police custody following an alleged kidnapping and assault by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

The incident occurred on Saturday in the southern West Bank village of Umm al-Khair. Joughin's lawyer, Inbar Shaked Vardi, stated that he was engaging in protective presence when children from Israeli settler families entered the village's sports center and attempted to break down fences. Vardi said Joughin held onto a fence to stop the break-in, at which point settlers yelled accusations in Hebrew.

Vardi described Joughin being put in a headlock, hands tied behind his back, and forced to sit in a shed for 30 minutes while settlers filmed humiliating videos that were later posted. Israeli police were called to the settlement and arrested Joughin, interrogating him under suspicion of assault. Israeli authorities decided to deport him after a pre-deportation hearing on August 30, with his flight back to the UK scheduled for around midday GMT on August 31. Retired Israeli generals are publicly denouncing settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.