Scottish Politicians Held 8 Hours, Barred From West Bank
Scottish National Party (SNP) MP Lara Bird and Scottish Greens MSP Kate Nevens were among 23 members of a Progressive International delegation, which also included Labour MP Clive Lewis and a former member of the Basque senate.
In a post on Instagram, Bird said the group was questioned and refused entry into the territory. The delegation had set out to “stand alongside Palestinians being attacked for harvesting olives on their own land,” she said. She added that the group was “interrogated and ultimately prevented from crossing the border.”
Nevens called the ordeal “frightening” but said the group was able to “leave safely.”
“What we experienced was only a small fraction of the terrifying reality Palestinians face when they try to cross the same border to reach their families or simply go about their lives,” she said.
The detention followed an announcement by the Israeli military on Monday that every West Bank land crossing would be shut under tightened security measures ahead of Tuesday’s national elections.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army pressed on with a large-scale offensive in the West Bank city of Hebron for a fifth straight day on Tuesday, driving nearly 5,000 Palestinians from their homes.
The Hebron municipality said in a statement that 4,969 Palestinians from 780 families have been forcibly displaced from the Deir Bahha and Al-Jilda areas since the military campaign began on Friday.
Footage from a news agency showed Palestinians being stopped, searched and mistreated by Israeli forces at military checkpoints near Al-Jilda Roundabout.
Witnesses said fresh military reinforcements also arrived in Ein Deir Baha, where Israeli forces have seized several Palestinian buildings and converted them into military posts.
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