A British tourist is facing deportation from Israel after allegedly entering a closed military area and threatening security forces, Israeli authorities say.

Janet Adyeri, 35, who was named by Israeli media, was detained in the Southern Hebron Hills area in the occupied West Bank on Monday.

After being questioned she was found to have posted anti-Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sentiments on social media and to belong to an organisation calling for the boycott of Israel, police said.

Israel's immigration authority said Adyeri would be kept in a detention centre, and is expected to be deported within the next 24 hours.

According to Israeli police, Adyeri "violated public order by refusing to identify herself to the forces and threatening a settlement security coordinator".

Following an investigation at the Central Unit of Judea and Samaria, Ayderi was brought before a judge, police said.

Adyeri's lawyer Riham Nasra said her client was not interrogated about her social media posts or making threats.

She told Israeli media she was only "questioned regarding her entry into a closed military zone, and that's it."

Nasra said added Adyeri only refused to identify herself when asked by a plainclothes soldier.

She presented identification to uniformed soldiers later on.

According to Israeli media, Nasra disputes Adyeri was brought before a judge, as police claimed.

She was taken straight to a hearing at the Population and Immigration Authority in Ramle, where her deportation was decided upon, Nasra said.

The BBC has contacted the UK Foreign Office for comment.

After the incident, Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said anyone "who acts against the State of Israel will find an aggressive police presence. The games are over," in a post on X.

Last month, two Labour MPs were denied entry to Israel while on a trip to the occupied West Bank.

Israel's population and immigration authority said this was because they intended to "spread hate speech".

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by Ruth Comerford

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