Israeli Forces Arrest Two U.S. Activists in Occupied West Bank

(MENAFN) Israeli military personnel took two American volunteers into custody on December 12 in the occupied West Bank as they resisted efforts to displace a Palestinian household, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) reported.

Irene Cho of New York and Trudi Frost of Boston were apprehended in al-Mughayyer village, situated northeast of Ramallah, while residing with the Abu Hamam family. The ISM stated the household has endured "ceaseless harassment and assault at the hands of Israeli settlers and armed forces for over a year."

Israeli officials canceled the volunteers' residency permits using expedited administrative measures before transferring them to Givon prison in the vicinity of Ramla city, the movement confirmed.

The detentions followed Israeli military claims of issuing a "month-long military order sealing the area," according to the ISM. However, the advocacy organization asserts the accompanying maps failed to designate the Abu Hamam property within the closed zone's boundaries, rendering the arrests legally questionable.

Both American volunteers are declining to comply with expulsion proceedings as their legal representatives contest the deportation directives' validity, the ISM announced. Authorities must present the activists before a detention review board within a 72-hour window.

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