Catholic peace activist deported from Israel
Catholic peace campaigner Angie Zelter, was deported from Israel yesterday, after the authorities said she was a security risk. The 52-year-old woman from Norfolk, who is a member of the International Women's Peace Service, (IWPS) had recently been acting as a human shield for Palestinian olive-pickers. She returned to Israel on Sunday in order to testify in a criminal trial against a settler from Kiryat Arba, who she alleged had assaulted her, when she photographed him throwing stones at Palestinians in Hebron, badly injuring a young boy. At the District Court in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, judge Ruth Eliaz authorised the deportation, because of Zelter's work with the IWPS, and saying she had disrupted the demolition of houses ordered by the government. After the verdict, a group of peace demonstrators including Rabbi Arik Asherman, were forcibly removed from the courtroom by security personnel. An IWPS spokeswoman said: "The reasons for Angie's deportation must be made public. By being forced against her will to return to Britain without legitimate reason, it reveals that Israel does not adhere to the rule of law in its policies towards nonviolent internationals who support justice for Palestinians."