The activists use their foreign passports as a kind of immunity, and impede the soldiers, to deter them from enforcing the law.
By Hezy Laing
A few years ago in Hebron, a Danish activist participating in an International Solidarity Movement (ISM) demonstration struck an IDF officer in the face.
Video released by the IDF Spokesperson showed the activist approaching a soldier during a routine patrol and slapping him without provocation.
The soldier did not retaliate, and military police detained the activist shortly afterward.
The Danish government confirmed the individual’s identity, and Israel deported him within days. The incident drew international attention because it involved a foreign national attacking an officer in one of the most sensitive flashpoints in Judea and Samaria.
A year later, also in Hebron, international members of ISM attempted to block an IDF patrol and then physically confronted soldiers.
One Italian activist was filmed punching an IDF soldier and attempting to grab his weapon during the scuffle.
The soldier was not seriously injured, but the assault led to the activist’s arrest and subsequent deportation.
ISM denied encouraging violence, but Israeli authorities stated that the footage clearly showed foreign nationals attacking soldiers during an operational patrol.
Jewish rights activist Benyahu Ben-Shabbat from Im Tirtzu recently described to Olam Katan Hebrew news the complex and worrying reality in Judea and Samaria, which is affected by the activities of extreme left-wing activists arriving from abroad.
Ben-Shabbat notes that this is an organized system in which Israeli and foreign leftist organizations work to bring in activists from countries such as Italy, Germany and the United States.
Literally thousands of foreign activists enter Israel every year.
These activists, most of whom don’t recognize the right of Israel to exist, undergo specialized training both in their countries of origin and in Israel, which teaches them how to deal with customs authorities and security forces.
The presence of the anarchists on the ground ties the hands of IDF soldiers.
He illustrates this with a case in which a Jew was attacked by an Arab resident in the southern Hebron Hills; despite the arrival of IDF forces, the soldiers refrained from making an arrest due to the presence of the foreign activists and their documentation.
Ben-Shabbat adds that the activists use their foreign passports as a kind of immunity, and shout at and impede the soldiers, to deter them from enforcing the law.
He emphasizes that the impact does not end on the ground, but continues into the legal system. A complaint he filed following the attack was closed in less than 24 hours, which, in his opinion, indicates the system’s difficulty in dealing with the phenomenon.
Now, he is working to reopen the case and seeks to overshadow the problem that disrupts the functioning of IDF forces and undermines Israeli sovereignty on the ground.
Under the Entry Into Israel Law, 5712–1952, foreign activists may enter Israel if they hold a valid visa.
The Israeli Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that entry bans must be based on individual behavior, not political identity alone, even if they belong to well-known anti-Israel groups.
