Ramallah /PNN/
Two French citizens detained by Israeli forces during a military raid in the occupied West Bank are appealing deportation orders, their lawyers said Wednesday.
The two were arrested Feb. 1 at the home of the Abu Najeh family in al-Khalayel, a rural area on the outskirts of the village of al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah. Israeli forces entered the area under a one-day closed military zone order, accusing the activists of violating a military directive.
According to a transcript of the deportation hearing held the same day — an official document reviewed by the detainees’ legal team — Israeli state representatives said the closed military zone order was intended to remove Bedouin residents whom authorities described as “illegally occupying the area.” The area falls under partial Palestinian civil control, known as Area B, under interim peace agreements.
Israeli authorities have not publicly commented on the transcript or the specific allegations raised by the detainees’ lawyers.
During the Feb. 1 raid, Israeli forces detained the two French citizens, identified as Momo and Camille, and transferred them to the Ben Gurion detention facility near Tel Aviv. Their deportation flights are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6, pending the outcome of their appeals.
The Abu Najeh family said they were ordered to leave their land but refused. The military order issued during the raid did not include language allowing residents to remain in their homes, according to rights advocates following the case.
ISM Rights groups say the arrests are part of a broader campaign targeting Palestinian families and international activists in al-Khalayel, an area that has seen repeated confrontations involving Israeli forces and settlers in recent months. Residents and activists accuse settlers of grazing livestock on nearby Palestinian land, damaging olive trees and infrastructure, and taking water supplies, allegations Israel has not formally addressed.
At least six international activists have been deported from the area in the past two months, while more than a dozen others have been detained and later released, according to activists monitoring the situation.
In a written statement from detention, Camille said she traveled to the West Bank as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement to support Palestinians facing displacement. Momo said in a separate statement that he opposed what he described as oppression and injustice.
Israeli authorities have intensified enforcement actions against international activists in the area since late December. On Dec. 30, three foreign activists were detained during a military operation and held for several hours at a military base before being transferred to a police station. Earlier incidents in December and January also resulted in the deportation of U.S., Irish and French nationals following arrests during military raids.
Israel says it enforces military orders in the West Bank for security reasons. Palestinians and human rights groups say the measures are used to facilitate settlement expansion and displace local communities.
