Italian activist recounts harsh Israeli detention after West Bank olive-harvest mission

Five Italian activists, including Anna, went to Masafer Yatta in the West Bank to assist Palestinian farmers during the olive-picking season. When they attempted to board a shuttle to Bethlehem, a soldier and an unidentified man, whom Anna believes was a settler, demanded their passports; after compliance, they were stopped by police and taken to a detention facility in Nablus. There, they spent two and a half days in a small, windowless cell, endured repeated questioning, fingerprinting, and were denied phone calls to the Italian embassy or relatives.

They were later moved to Tel Aviv immigration offices, where conditions improved slightly but the lights stayed on constantly and interrogations continued. On the eve of their release, the Italian consul in Jerusalem informed them they would be sent back to Italy. Anna said the experience felt like being treated as animals.