British activist abducted by armed Israeli settlers in Masafer Yatta

Israeli settlers forcibly detained a British activist in the village of Umm al-Khair, in Masafer Yatta in the southern occupied West Bank. Footage circulating on social media showed the activist named Finn Joughin being grabbed by the arms and taken to an unknown location by armed Israeli settlers on Saturday. He could not be reached for a lengthy period afterwards. Israeli police said the British activist had been handed over to them and was being held in custody over an allegation of “sexual abuse,” according to The Times of Israel. Footage showed Joughin shielding an Israeli child’s body while trying to stop the child from passing through a wire fence. The activist’s lawyer, Inbar Shaked Vardi, said on Sunday that Joughin was taken by settlers and locked in a shed for 30 minutes before being handed over to Israel Police. He is set to appear before a Jerusalem court on Sunday. A British Foreign Office spokesperson said officials from the British Embassy Tel Aviv have raised the case with the Israeli authorities and are seeking further information.