The UK Foreign Office has confirmed it has raised the detention of a British national in the occupied West Bank with Israeli authorities. Finn Joughin, a 22-year-old student activist, was arrested on Saturday in the Palestinian village of Umm Al-Kheir.
Joughin was reportedly detained by Israeli settlers who had advanced on the village. Footage seen by the BBC appears to show Joughin attempting to protect a fence from a child pushing against him before being forcibly removed by settlers and taken to an outpost.
Israeli police stated that a foreign national was detained by security personnel of a settler community on suspicion of an indecent act against a minor. Following questioning, the suspect was taken into custody, and an investigation is ongoing. However, Joughin's family has informed the BBC that he is due to be deported from Israel on Monday, and activists present deny any inappropriate behaviour.
The incident occurred amid a surge in settler attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank since October 2023. Violence over the weekend in several areas of the occupied West Bank prompted condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.