Ian Hutcheson travelled from his home in North Dublin to the West Bank two weeks ago, with a group of international volunteers, to provide solidarity and support to Palestinians during the harvest.
October’s olive harvest is an important cultural and national event for Palestinians during which they face frequent attack by Israeli settlers.
The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture reported last week that more than 98,000 olive trees have been damaged in the West Bank over the past three years due to Israeli policies and violent actions by settlers, resulting in a financial loss for farmers of $66 million.
Israeli settlers have carried out over 600 attacks in the West Bank since late September, including stealing olives, cutting down or burning trees, and seizing crops.
Ian and 10 other solidarity activists from Italy, Germany, the United States, Britain and Australia, were arrested yesterday morning, October 22, while visiting a Palestinian family. They were detained in a police station overnight and today, October 23, were transported to an Immigration Centre. It is understood that he is to be deported tonight.
Cllr Conor Reddy said:
“Each year, international volunteers travel to Palestine to provide international solidarity and act as observers as Palestinian farmers face harassment and attack by Israeli settlers and the Israeli authorities during the harvest season. Israeli settlers have carried out over 600 attacks in the West Bank since late September, including stealing olives and crops and cutting down and burning trees.
“Ian Hutcheson travelled from Dublin to the West Bank two weeks ago as an act of international solidarity with the people of Palestine as they try to harvest their crops under constant threat of attack by Israeli settlers and police.
“Ian and 10 other solidarity activists were arrested yesterday in the village of Al Buweib while they were visiting a local family. They were not engaged in harvesting or other field action at the time of their arrest and Al Buweib is not in a closed military zone.
“It is outrageous that Ian went to the West Bank to offer support and protection to Palestinians as they harvested their crops, and for this he was arrested and detained and appears set to be deported.”
Paul Murphy TD said:
“The Government gutted the Occupied Territories Bill of meaningful impact, and in May it defeated our Sanctions Against the State of Israel Bill. That has meant Israel remains confident that it can get away with genocide in Gaza and escalating violence in the West Bank.
“The Government must finally do the only thing that will stop Israel, impose comprehensive sanctions to force an end to its violence and crimes of genocide and apartheid.”