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JERUSALEM, Jan. 18 (AP) — Israeli authorities said Tuesday that Israel deported an Italian activist to Italy after security forces detained her during a raid in the occupied West Bank and accused her of ties to Palestinians. Radical groups have ties.
The Israeli military arrested Stefania Costantini during a predawn raid on the Dheisha refugee camp in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem on Monday.
Video shared on social media showed an Israeli soldier picking up Costantini and rolling her over his shoulders as she screamed. Video shows a group of soldiers dragging her out of the camp and stuffing her into a military vehicle. Israeli forces killed a 14-year-old boy in the head during the same raid as they opened fire on Palestinians who were throwing stones and Molotov cocktails.
Italian media described Costantini as an advocate for Palestinian rights. Israel’s Shin Bet security service said Costantini was arrested on suspicion of belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and transferring funds to it.
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The militant group, known as the PFLP, was involved in hijacking airliners in the 1960s and 1970s and later claimed responsibility for suicide attacks during the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, in the early 2000s. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Shin Bet said Costantini arrived in Israel on May 2 last year on a tourist visa and was summoned for interrogation last September for his involvement in PFLP.
The security agency said Costantini failed to report to authorities and “even continued to carry out activities for the militant group”. Israel deported her on Monday afternoon, the interior ministry said.
COBAS, Italy’s left-wing union in Pisa, to which Costantini belongs, expressed “shock” at the news of her arrest and deportation. The union said it was concerned for Costantini’s “health and safety.”
The group described Costantini as an expert in working with students with disabilities who has long campaigned in defense of “those whose rights are disenfranchised.” Costantini left her life in Italy a few months ago and moved to a Palestinian refugee camp, the group said. It made no mention of the allegations by Israeli security agencies.
The Italian consulate in Jerusalem did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Israeli and Italian foreign ministries also declined to comment.
But on Monday, the day Costantini was deported, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen tweeted that he had a phone conversation with his Italian counterpart. The call focused on countries working together to “combat terrorism” and promote “political cooperation”. It made no mention of Costantini’s case.
Israel has intensified its crackdown on Palestinian militants and human rights groups in recent years. Last summer, the Israeli military raided and shut down the offices of Palestinian human rights groups, which had been designated terrorist groups over their alleged ties to the PFLP. Nine European countries have rejected Israel’s accusations against human rights groups, citing lack of evidence. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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