Global Sumud Flotilla Recruiting for West Bank Activism, Diaspora Affairs Ministry Reveals

Global Sumud Flotilla recruiting for West Bank activism, Diaspora Affairs Ministry reveals

The organization has called for volunteers to join a program providing accompaniment and maintaining a presence alongside Palestinian communities ahead of the upcoming olive harvest.

NEW FRONT FOR FLOTILLA ACTIVISTS: Greta Thunberg-Linked Group Recruits Foreigners for West Bank Olive Harvest

Three years after the Oct. 7 massacre, the international activist network behind the Gaza flotilla joined by Greta Thunberg is turning its attention to Yehuda and Shomron, recruiting foreign activists to participate in the upcoming Palestinian olive harvest. According to Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry, the Global Sumud Flotilla is currently recruiting participants from abroad to travel to Yehuda and Shomron, with the deadline for applications set for Oct. 7. Those accepted into the program are expected to remain in the area for at least two weeks and undergo training in what organizers describe as “direct action,” along with political and media training. Participants are also reportedly required to commit to continued political activism after returning to their home countries, indicating that the initiative is intended to extend beyond the olive harvest itself. The recruitment effort follows the organization’s previous campaigns connected to Gaza, including the flotilla involving Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The new initiative is one of several efforts underway to bring international activists to Yehuda and Shomron during the annual olive harvest. Various organizations have promoted programs offering what they describe as a “protective presence” alongside Palestinian farmers. Israeli officials contend that the campaigns are also being used to develop an international network of activists who can participate in organized political actions and generate media attention surrounding confrontations in the area. Diaspora Affairs Ministry Director-General Avi Cohen-Scali issued a warning over the recruitment effort, saying Israel would act against foreign activists who arrive as part of organized efforts to provoke confrontations or disturb public order. “Israel will not serve as a playground for foreign anarchists,” Cohen-Scali said. He said Israeli authorities would take action against anyone entering the country as part of an organized network whose purpose, in the ministry’s view, is to create provocations and disrupt order. The olive harvest has repeatedly become a flashpoint in parts of Yehuda and Shomron, with Israeli and international activists accompanying Palestinian farmers in areas near Jewish communities and IDF positions. Israeli security forces are frequently deployed during the season amid concerns about confrontations involving Palestinians, Jewish residents and activists. {Matzav.com}