Scottish & Swedish Activists Deported

Andrew Muncie from Scotland and Andreas Koninek from Sweden, two peace activists with the International Solidarity Movement, were deported early Wednesday evening. The two men were taken into custody on the 17th August after they chained themselves to a house which the Israeli military had scheduled for demolition.

They lost an appeal against their deportation last Friday after an Israeli judge ruled they had been endangering themselves and the Israeli military. Lawyers for the two men had argued that by trying to stop the house demolition, they were trying to prevent a violation of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the destruction of civilian homes.

It appears that the Israeli state may have paid for at least one of the activists to return home. Previously, Andrew had told the Israeli authorities that he did not have a return ticket. The fact that he returned to the UK on a flight direct to London (rather than via Amsterdam as per his outward journey) seems to suggest that he has had his ticket paid for him.

Sam McGarry
ISM Media Co-ordinator
Beit Sahour